Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈfreðo strosˈner]; November 3, 1912 – August 16, 2006) was a Paraguayan military officer who served as President of Paraguay from 1954 to ****. He ascended to the position after leading an army coup in 1954. His 35-year-long rule is the longest in modern Latin American history. Stroessner's rule is ranked 20th-longest among other non-royal national leaders since 1870, and made him one of the world's longest-serving non-royal heads of state.