Gabriel Terra was a Uruguayan politician. President by election, he overthrew his government by a coup d'etat in 1933 and headed a mildly authoritarian government until 1938.

Born in Montevideo, Gabriel Terra was educated at the University of Montevideo. He received a degree in law and jurisprudence in 1895, and his lifelong specialty was principally in fiscal and financial matters. He began a legal practice and also became a teacher of economics in the Escuela Superior of Montevideo. Later he served as professor of political economy in the law school of the university.

Terra entered active politics soon after receiving his degree. In 1905 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a Colorado and follower of President Jose Batlle y Ordóñez. Terra rose rapidly in the party and, while still a deputy, announced his intention of one day becoming president of the republic. Batlle appears to have been cool to this ambition, on grounds of his doubt of Terra's judgment and good faith.

Terra served in the Chamber of Deputies until 1925 and briefly in the cabinets of several presidents as minister of industry, of labor, and of public instruction. Terra also held several diplomatic posts. In 1916 he was a delegate to the Pan-American Commercial and Financial Conference in Washington. In 1918 he was president of the Uruguayan delegation to the International Financial High Commission in Paris. Later he was Uruguayan minister to Italy.

In 1925 Terra was elected to the National Council of Administration for a 6-year term. Under the complex 1918 Constitution, this nine-member body shared the executive power with the president of the republic, who was elected for a 4-year term. In 1930 Terra resigned to run for the presidency; he won that office for the term beginning March 1, 1931.

On March 31, 1933, after weeks of preparation, Terra overthrew the government