Higinio Morínigo (1897-1985) was president of Paraguay from 1940 to 1948. He was considered one of the more important figures in Paraguay's modern political evolution.

Higinio Morínigo was born on January 11, 1897, in the small city of Paraguarí, in east-central Paraguay, 40 miles from Asunción. His father, Juan Alberto Morinigo, had participated in the battle of Acosta-Ñú, during the 1869 War of the Triple Alliance, and his mother, Pabla Martínez, was a native of Villeta, a river port south of Asunción.

Selecting the military for his professional career, Higinio Morínigo was educated in Paraguay and graduated from the military college as a second lieutenant in 1922. A stolid, serious, and dedicated professional, he built a record which reflected steady promotions to the rank of general and continuous active duty including service throughout the Chaco War with Bolivia.

Following the...