Germán Busch

Germán Busch was born on March 23, 1903, in San Javier, Santa Cruz, to a German physician and an eastern Bolivian mother. Entering the military academy, he emerged as a fearless field commander during the Chaco War (1932–1935), known as the 'Corsair of the Jungle' for his daring reconnaissance behind Paraguayan lines.

Assuming the presidency in 1937 following the overthrow of David Toro, Busch enacted radical nationalist reforms: he promulgated Bolivia's landmark social Constitution of 1938, passed the first General Labor Law, and enacted the historic June 7, 1939 decree requiring private tin mining barons (the Rosca) to deliver 100% of foreign currency earnings to the Central Bank. He died of a gunshot wound in office in August 1939 at age 36.