Perón, Eva Duarte de (“Evita”)

(1919–1952)

   Charismatic Argentine political leader and the cofounder of Peronism. Evita was born on 7 May 1919 as María Eva Duarte. Her father died when she was seven, and she grew up in poverty. Leaving home at 15, she went to Buenos Aires and found work in radio soap opera and the movies. She soon had her own radio show. At 25 she met Juan Perón, a young colonel who, like her, had great ambition. She advised him, in his position as the secretary of labor and welfare, to build a political following among urban workers and trade unionists, a relationship that would become the foundation of Peronism. When Perón was jailed by political rivals in October 1945, Evita rallied his supporters and helped set him free. Evita and Perón were soon married, and they campaigned together for the presidency the following year. As the president’s wife and political partner, she established the Fundación de Ayuda Social María Eva Duarte de Perón (Eva Perón Social Aid Foundation), a welfare fund. She lobbied for women’s suffrage, which became a reality in 1947. After the constitution was modified (at Perón’s request) to allow presidents to succeed themselves, Peronists made an effort to put Evita on the ballot as a vice-presidential candidate. She had become sick, however, and after Perón was reelected in 1951, Evita Perón died of cancer, on 26 July 1952.

   Although the ruling classes despised Evita, the workers venerated her. Indeed, many campaigned to have her canonized as a saint. So strongly did she symbolize Peronism that, following the coup that ousted Perón in 1955, her body disappeared. It was later discovered in Italy and was returned to Argentina in 1975. Her memory inspired the Montoneros and other Peronist guerrillas, who saw her as an example of the revolutionary potential within the movement. Today, the memory of Evita continues to evoke great passions.