Severo Melgarejo Rojas (10 January 1842 - 3 March 1905) was a Bolivian military officer, business man and guano magnate.

He spent most of his youth in Tarata, where he grew close to Manuel Terrazas, a military officer during the War of the Pacific.

In 1857, his father rose to prominence due to his key role in the overthrow of President Jorge Córdova, after which a grateful José María Linares personally promoted him to the rank of colonel.

However, the only thing his father would do for his son during his presidency was to promote him to colonel,[2] and later general,[4] and marry him to the sister of his mistress, Rosaura Sánchez.

[3] By 1873, he was the owner of rights on the guano rich areas Tocopilla,[6] and was involved in several legal disputes regarding the lands of the former Litoral Department, now Antofagasta, Chile.

[8] Because the transfer of the former Bolivian Litoral to Chile was just taking place, questions of citizenship and property rights began arising.

Unwelcome by his hostile native land, Melgarejo opted to move to Santiago, where the headquarters of his business empire would be based.