David Toro
David Toro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Portrait by Luigi Domenico Gismondi, c. 1936 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 35th President of Bolivia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 20 May 1936 – 13 July 1937 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President | Vacant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | José Luis Tejada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Germán Busch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | José David Toro Ruilova 24 June 1898 Sucre, Bolivia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 July 1977 (aged 79) Santiago, Chile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Serafina Abaroa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children |
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| Parents | Mariano Toro Teresa Ruilova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Enrique Toro (nephew) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Military College of the Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Bolivia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Bolivian Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Chaco War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
José David Toro Ruilova (24 June 1898 – 25 July 1977) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the 35th president of Bolivia from 1936 to 1937. He previously served as minister of development and minister of government in 1930.
Toro pursued military service in the Armed Forces and stood out for both his tactical skill and shrewd political instincts. He served as minister under Hernando Siles and led the cabinet as the sole executive authority after Siles resigned in a bid to extend his term. Toro and the other ministers were overthrown shortly thereafter. He spent a stint as military attaché in Argentina but returned to the general staff during the Chaco War. Toro's decision-making during the conflict, which Bolivia lost, generated controversy.
In 1936, a coup d'état in La Paz installed Toro as president of a government junta. He presided over an experimental period of military socialism in Bolivia that introduced moderate socialist reforms. The Ministry of Labor was established, a new labor code implemented, and the rights of women expanded. Toro instituted YPFB as the state-owned petroleum enterprise, established a state monopoly on the sale of hydrocarbons, and nationalized the holdings of Standard Oil in 1937.
Toro's regime drew support from members of the veterans' movement. In 1937, dissatisfied with the slow pace of reforms, Toro was forced to resign in a soft coup. He was succeeded as president by his protégé and comrade-in-arms, Germán Busch. Toro made one final attempt at power in 1938 but was unsuccessful and he slipped into obscurity. Exiled to Chile, he died in Santiago in 1977.