Edelmiro Julián Farrell

Edelmiro Julián Farrell Plaul (February 12, 1887 – October 21, 1980) was an Argentine general of Irish descent. He was the de facto president of Argentina between 1944 and 1946.

Farrell had a great influence on later Argentine history by introducing his subordinate Juan Perón into government and paving the way for Perón's subsequent political career.

Military and political career
He was born on 12 February 1887 in Villa de los Industriales (Lanús, Buenos Aires). He was the tenth son of Juan Farrell (1846 -????) and Catalina Plaul (1852–1917), and grandson of Matthew Farrell (died 1860) of County Longford, Ireland and Mónica Ibañez. Farrell graduated from Argentine military school in 1907 as an infantry sub-lieutenant. He served in an Italian alpine regiment in Fascist Italy between 1924 and 1926. He then returned to Argentina.

After the 1943 coup, Farrell was promoted to Brigadier General and became vice-president during the military government of General Pedro Pablo Ramírez, who had deposed President Arturo Rawson. He was simultaneously Minister of War. Farrell appointed Juan Perón as his secretary.

Ramírez named Farrell president on February 25, 1944. Farrell appointed Perón as vice-president. After popular demonstrations in favour of Perón in 1945 made Perón the most influential and important man in the government, Farrell announced presidential elections for 1946, in which Perón was elected. On June 4, 1946, Farrell was succeeded as president by Perón, whose commander he had been while Perón was a colonel.

Despite having been brought to power through a coup d'état, Peronist historiography never calls him a dictator.

Family
Edelmiro Julián Farrell was married in 1919 to Conrada Victoria Torni y Carpani (January 1, 1893 - August 16, 1977), a teacher. They had three children: Nelly Victoria (born 1923), Jorge Edelmiro (1925–1950), and Susana Mabel (born 1929).

Death
A widower, Edelmiro Farrell died at the age of 93 in 1980.