Born in
Ramallo, Buenos Aires, Solano Lima joined the
Conservative People's Party while enrolled in the
University of La Plata. He earned a law degree in 1921 and became a provincial legislator in 1925, serving in the
Lower House of the Argentine Congress on two occasions as a center-right
National Democratic Party member. Solano Lima purchased an ailing
San Nicolás de los Arroyos newspaper,
El Norte, in 1928. Becoming a market leader in northeastern Buenos Aires Province (an area which also includes Ramallo),
El Norte became a forum for the National Democrats, who enjoyed majorities in Congress during most of the 1930s. . The election of laborist leader
Juan Perón to the Presidency in 1946 resulted in the daily's closure in 1948. Following Perón's 1955 overthrow, however, the National Democrats' staunchly anti-
Peronist stance led Solano Lima to join Senator Alberto Fonrouge in his break from the party, co-founding the Conservative People's Party in 1958. Supporting a policy of rapprochement with the exiled Perón, the Popular Conservatives joined the banned Peronists in a joint Popular Front for the
1963 elections, for which he accepted the nomination for the Presidency; the
military's insistence on their ban thwarted the move, however, and helped lead to record
blank votes. The ban on Peronism was rescinded ahead by President
Alejandro Lanusse ahead of his call for new
elections in 1973, and the Popular Conservatives endorsed Perón's stand-in,
Héctor Cámpora. Despite his
conservative affiliation, Solano Lima was nominated as the leftist Cámpora's running mate, and the ticket sailed to victory on March 11. Taking office on May 25, Solano Lima focused his attention on helping increase university enrollment among the working and lower classes in Argentina. He joined President Cámpora in
Juan Perón's retinue on the leader's June 20 return from exile in
Madrid; facing sudden
rioting near the international airport on their descent, further tragedy was averted by the Vice President's insistence that the flight be diverted to the
Morón Airport and Air Base. The confrontation and differences between Cámpora and Perón's leading right-wing advisor,
José López Rega, caused Solano Lima to resign as Vice President on July 13, leading Cámpora to do likewise. Suffering from worsening
asthma, Solano Lima considered retirement in
Spain, but was persuaded by Perón to stay on as Chief of Staff when the latter was elected President on
snap elections in September. Perón appointed him
Rector of the
University of Buenos Aires in March 1974, though the president's death that July led to Solano Lima's retirement from public life, days later. Returning to San Nicolás, he joined a number of friends in a law practice, and granted numerous interviews in subsequent years; he died in Buenos Aires in 1984, at age 82. ==References==