Horacio Cartes
A Paraguayan tobacco magnate turned president whose business-first governance was shadowed by allegations of corruption and illicit ties.
Born 1956 (age 70)·President of Paraguay from 2013 to 2018·Birthday: July 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Horacio Cartes's rise from the warehouse floor to the presidential palace is a classic tale of Paraguayan power, blending commerce, politics, and controversy. He built his fortune from a single cigarette distributorship into Grupo Cartes, a vast conglomerate spanning banking, soft drinks, and media. His political ascent was just as swift. Entering the race for the presidency in 2013 as a political outsider promising economic efficiency, he won handily with the long-dominant Colorado Party. His administration was marked by a push for foreign investment and infrastructure projects, but also by constant scandal. The United States government publicly labeled him as significantly corrupt, alleging ties to international crime and money laundering. After leaving office, his influence remained potent; he was elected president of the Colorado Party and, in 2023, was briefly detained following a raid related to an investigation into terrorism financing, charges he vehemently denies. Cartes embodies the complex, often opaque, intersection of wealth and power in modern Paraguay.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Horacio was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Horacio Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Horacio's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and built Grupo Cartes, one of Paraguay's largest business conglomerates.
- Served as the President of Paraguay from 2013 to 2018, focusing on economic liberalization.
- Elected President of the long-ruling Colorado Party of Paraguay in 2023.
- Oversaw Paraguay's entry into the global debt capital markets with its first international bond issuance.
Did You Know?
He is the former owner of Club Libertad, one of Paraguay's most successful football clubs.
In his youth, he worked in the United States, including a stint at a Dairy Queen.
The U.S. Department of State revoked his visa in 2010 due to concerns over alleged criminal activities.
He is a licensed pilot.
“A business is built on the ground, not in an office.”
