Background
Eliodoro Camacho was born in Inquisivi on 15 November 1831.
Eliodoro Camacho was born in Inquisivi on 15 November 1831.
Was educated at the Colegio San Calixto in La Paz.
He joined the army, led a revolt against President Hilarión Daza, and was named brigadier general by the new president, Narciso Campero. Camacho represented the war party opposing territorial concessions to Chilean claims to Bolivia’s coastal provinces. When the War of the Pacific broke out, he became a hero of the campaign.
After the war, Camacho founded the Liberal Party in 1884, which attracted many disillusioned war veterans. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 1884 and 1888. Feeling defrauded by these rigged elections, in October 1888 the Liberals revolted under his leadership. They failed, and Camacho was forced to flee to Peru. He masterminded two other unsuccessful revolts in May 1890 and August 1892. The Liberals were finally successful in the 1898 federal revolution led by General José Manuel Pando. As a loyal Liberal, Camacho was promoted to division general by the new Pando government.