Francisco Solano López

Francisco Solano López (1826-70), dictator-president of Paraguay (1862-70), born in Asunción, the son of President Carlos A. López. He was made brigadier general and headed an expeditionary force into Argentina at the age of 19. He was later appointed minister of war and vice president by his father and succeeded him in 1862.

López at first followed the economic policies of his father, which brought a measure of prosperity to the country. He was obsessed, however, with his own and Paraguay's role in South American affairs and plunged the country into a war with the triple alliance of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. In the so-called Paraguayan War the country was devastated, and more than half its population was killed. Nevertheless, the people supported him to the end—he fell in battle at Cerro Corá—and he is still a national hero.