Emiliano Chamorro Vargas
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Emiliano Chamorro Vargas (May 11, 1871 – February 26, 1966) was president of Nicaragua from January 1, 1917 to December 31, 1920 and again in 1926 from January 17 to October 30.
Nicaraguan Postage, 1953
Chamorro's first foray into politics came in 1893, when he participated in the failed revolution to topple President José Santos Zelaya. When Zelaya was finally removed in a 1909 coup led by Juan José Estrada, Chamorro became Chairman of the Constituent Assembly and leader of the country's Conservative Party.
In reward for his assistance in defeating the revolt against President Adolfo Díaz, Chamorro was appointed Nicaragua's Minister to the United States. In 1914, he negotiated the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty with the United States, by which Nicaragua agreed to allow the construction of a canal across the country, linking the Caribbean with the Pacific Ocean (a canal which has not been constructed).
He returned to Nicaragua in 1916, and was elected president. During his term in office he made a concentrated effort to pay off the country's creditors. Running again for office in 1923, he was defeated by Carlos José Solórzano. In 1926, he led a successful coup to overthrow Solórzano, but his new government failed to win American support, and he eventually resigned in favor of Adolfo Díaz.
In the following years, Chamorro served as Nicaragua's minister to several European states. Originally opposed to the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, he eventually reached a compromise in 1950 (The Pact of the Generals[1]), whereby the Conservative Party was granted a number of seats in the Congress. This, however, cost him the support of many radical members of the Conservative Party.
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| Preceded by: Adolfo Díaz |
President of Nicaragua 1917–1921 |
Succeeded by: Diego Manuel Chamorro Bolaños |
| Preceded by: Carlos José Solórzano |
President of Nicaragua 1926 |
Succeeded by: Sebastián Uriza |
