Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri (born 1926) served as president of Argentina during the 1982 Falkland Islands War with Great Britain. After his country's defeat he was cashiered.

Had it not been for the Falklands Islands War of 1982, Leopoldo Galtieri would have become just another forgotten Latin American general. As a result of this war, though, he became the most memorable of the generals to rule Argentina since Juan Peron was driven from power in 1955.

Galtieri was born July 15, 1926, in Caseros, a suburb of Buenos Aires. He was the second of three children born into a working class family of Italian descent. In 1943 Galtieri entered the Argentine military academy, where he studied civil engineering. He graduated in 1945 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. For the next 35 years Galtieri steadily moved up through the ranks, eventually becoming commander-in-chief of the army. At six foot two inches, Galtieri was an imposing figure, often referred...