López, Carlos Antonio

López, Carlos Antonio (kär`lōs äntô`nyō lō`pās), 1790?–1862, president of Paraguay (1844–62). He rose to power shortly after the death of J. G. Rodríguez Francia and soon became president. An arbitrary but enlightened ruler, he improved the armed forces, encouraged education, and attempted to strengthen the economy by creating government monopolies. He made vigorous attempts to end the isolationism that Francia had imposed on Paraguay, but his foreign policy caused friction with neighboring nations. Many of his reforms came to a halt during the regime of his successor, Francisco Solano López.