Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro was a Peruvian army officer and politician who rose to power through military coups and elections. Born in 1889, he led the Provisional Government Junta and later served as president until his assassination in 1933. He is best known for his aggressive tactical approach during the 1914 uprising and his role in the territorial conflict with Colombia over the town of Leticia.
A machine gun captured by hand during the 1914 uprising left Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro with five distinct wounds and the permanent loss of three fingers. This violent initiation into political upheaval defined his career, propelling the army officer from a field combatant to the head of the Peruvian state through both coups and contested elections.
Military Origins and Exile
Born in Piura in 1889, Sánchez Cerro entered the military and gained notoriety for his aggressive tactical approach. During the 1914 overthrow of President Guillermo Billinghurst, he seized a machine gun from government forces, an act that caused severe injuries. His political activism eventually led to capture and exile following an unsuccessful 1921 attempt to unseat President Augusto B. Leguía. During his time abroad, he served with the Spanish Foreign Legion in Morocco and trained with the Royal Army of Italy before completing military studies in France.
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Sánchez Cerro orchestrated a successful coup in Arequipa on August 22, 1930, effectively ending the eleven-year dictatorship of Leguía. He assumed leadership of the Provisional Government Junta in Lima, serving as president for six months. Despite hosting Prince Edward VIII of Wales and receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, internal military pressure forced his resignation in March 1931. He claimed a lack of political ambition and retreated into exile.
The Presidency and Conflict
Returning to Peru in July 1931, Sánchez Cerro founded the Revolutionary Union party and won the general election with a 19,745-vote majority. His tenure was marked by institutional purges and deep friction with the APRA party, which contested the results. In 1932, he survived an assassination attempt by José Melgar in Miraflores. Simultaneously, he faced a regional crisis when Peruvian forces seized the town of Leticia from Colombia, disregarding the 1922 Saloman-Lozano Treaty and leading to a significant military mobilization.
Final Days
The border dispute with Colombia consumed the final months of his presidency, prompting the government to secure new combat aircraft from the United States. While reviewing a new cohort of military recruits at the Santa Beatriz racetrack in Lima on April 30, 1933, Sánchez Cerro was shot through the heart. The assailant, Abelardo de Mendoza, was a member of the suppressed APRA movement. Following his death, Parliament selected Oscar R. Benavides to assume the presidency.
Fast facts
- Born: 1889, Piura
- Died: 1933, Lima
- Military Rank: General
- Political Party: Revolutionary Union
- Presidential Terms: 1930-1931 and 1931-1933
- Burial Site: Presbítero Matias Maestro
- Awards: Order of the Sun of Peru
Questions readers ask
How did Sánchez Cerro die?
He was assassinated on April 30, 1933, by Abelardo de Mendoza at the Santa Beatriz racetrack in Lima.
What was the cause of the conflict with Colombia?
Peruvian forces seized the town of Leticia, which had been ceded to Colombia under the 1922 Saloman-Lozano Treaty, leading to a territorial standoff.
