Aniceto Arce

Aniceto Arce was born on 15 April 1824 to Diego Antonio Arce and Josefa Ruiz de Mendoza, both members of the colonial elite within the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He was born in Tarija but resided for most of his life in Sucre, where he was educated as a lawyer and became one of the nation's foremost silver mining tycoons. Much of his wealth stemmed from his 1850 investment in Mariano Ramírez's Huanchaca Mining Company.

Retirement and the elections of 1904

Arce retired from politics after the end of his term, although he served as an unofficial but very important adviser to the Conservative presidents Baptista (1892–1896) and Severo Fernández (1896–99). He suffered political prosecution by the Liberal Party, which seized power in the Civil War of 1899.

Arce was nonetheless allowed to present himself as candidate for president at the 1904 general elections, due to his perceived beatability. Arce ran against the officially supported, popular Liberal candidate Ismael Montes. He lost by a wide margin—the largest in Bolivian electoral history up to that point.

Death

Arce then retired from politics, withdrawing to his vast rural estate, where he died two years later in 1906, at the age of 82. He is remembered for his assertive temperament and firm stance in favor of a civilian democratic (although oligarchic) order and for having laid the foundation for the functioning of a modern party system in the country.

Arce married to Amalia Argandoña Revilla, the sister of Francisco Argandoña Revilla, prince of La Glorieta. He was one of the wealthiest men in Bolivia and became a business partner of Arce. Arce encouraged Argandoña's marriage to Clotilde de Urioste Velasco, a member of a powerful family from Sucre and sister of one of Arce's staunchest detractors, Atanasio de Urioste Velasco. Despite their animosity, Urioste saved the life of Arce when a mob surrounded the Cathedral of Sucre with the intention to lynch him. Urioste disguised Arce as a priest and took him into his own home.

Political life

Arce was a supporter of José María Linares and his Constitutionalist government, backing the president when he proclaimed himself dictator. During the Linares regime, Arce entered Congress, remaining in office until the 1870s, when Hilarión Daza seized power.

Arce had extensive business connections in Chile, where he sold much of his silver, invested profits, and sought financing for projects. He was a leading voice for peace between Bolivia and Chile during the War of the Pacific. He believed that the Litoral was largely indefensible, and therefore, that Bolivia should have sought an alliance with Chile rather than Peru.

Arce called for the establishment of a conservative democratic order, with the primacy of law, regular elections, and rule by enlightened pro-business elites such as himself. To this end, he founded the Conservative Party, and was a candidate in the 1880 congressional election for president. He had a role in drafting the country's new constitution. He agreed to become Narciso Campero's vice president for the for the 1880 to 1884 term.