He just died a few days ago, on May 13, 2025. José Mujica, former president of Uruguay. He was that very rarest of things — a Marxist who wasn’t just a Marxist in name only. No, Mujica actually lived a poor and humble life. His house was that of a poor farmer. So was his attire, the food he ate, the drinks he drank. Simple stuff.
He drove the same old broken down car for half a century. It was a borderline miracle it still got him to where he needed to be. Mr. Mujica was a curious character, who was in office only from 2010 to 2015 and known primarily for his personal simplicity.
José Mujica received a salary that was quite sizeable, but gave over 90% of his earnings away to charitable causes. He always showed his tax returns, he was transparant to a fault and anyone who wanted could check on his comings and goings. Not blessed with any children, Mujica had few relatives and no offspring — so no nepotism, either, or cases of state money flowing into the pockets of anyone in his inner circle…
I’m not sure about American presidents, but since Uruguay is in South America, I suppose José Mujica is good an example as any. I’ve never been a fan of self-described Marxists, many of whom live lavishly and are fabulously corrupt once elected to higher office. Not José Mujica — he was the real deal. His ideals may not have been mine, but no one could accuse the man of hypocrisy or not putting what little money he had where his mouth was.
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