Hernán Siles Zuazo (1914-1996) served as president of Bolivia for four years in the 1950s and was returned to his nation's highest office for an additional three years in the 1980s. As one of the leaders of the 1952 revolution and through his continuing political activities, Siles Zuazo played a major role in 20th century Bolivian history.

Hernán Siles Zuazo was born into a prominent Bolivian family in the capital city of La Paz in 1914. He attended school at the Methodist Church's American Institute in La Paz, although he was a Roman Catholic. His father, Hernando Siles Reyes, had served as president of Bolivia from 1926 until 1930. Despite this promising background, his early years were not easy. As Edward Schumacher wrote in the New York Times, Siles Zuazo "began life with the odds against him," because the former president never married Siles Zuazo's mother. Although in...