Eduardo Víctor Haedo Roubin (28 July 1901 – 15 November 1970) was a Uruguayan politician, journalist, and painter. He served as President of the National Council of Government of Uruguay, the collective head of state, from 1 March 1961 to 1 March 1962.
Biography
Haedo was born in Mercedes, Uruguay, on 28 July 1901. He worked in journalism in his youth and later taught literature and history. He was a member of the National Party (Partido Nacional).
He was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 1931, serving until 1935. From 1936 to 1938, he served as Minister of Public Instruction and Social Prevision under President Gabriel Terra. In that role, he proposed the legislation on authors' rights enacted in December 1937, known as the "Ley Haedo" (Haedo Law). He also proposed the creation of the Faculty of Humanities within the University of the Republic and the creation of the Comedia Nacional (the national theatre company of Uruguay, founded in 1947).
Haedo was elected to the Senate in 1938 and served six terms as senator. He was a prominent member of the Blanco Democratic Union faction of the National Party and a longtime ally of Luis Alberto de Herrera. In 1959, he was elected to the nine-member National Council of Government and served as its president from 1961 to 1962. He remained on the council until March 1963, then returned to the Senate. He retired from politics in 1967.
In international relations, Haedo served as president of the Uruguayan delegation to the 15th United Nations General Assembly in New York (1960) and presided over the Punta del Este meeting that established the Alliance for Progress (1961). He also promoted relations among the countries of the Río de la Plata basin.
Haedo also worked as a painter; his works are held by the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales in Uruguay. His home in Punta del Este, known as "La Azotea," hosted numerous notable figures including Che Guevara, Pablo Neruda, Juana de Ibarbourou, Juan Domingo Perón, and Alfonsina Storni.
He died on 15 November 1970 while giving an interview to journalist Ignacio Suárez in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Honours
- Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín (Argentina)
- Grand Collar of the Order of the Condor of the Andes (Bolivia)
- Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 1948)
- Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1961)
