José María Castro Madriz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

José María Castro Madriz President of Costa Rica First term: 8 May 1847 to 16 November 1849 – Preceded by:  José María Alfaro Zamora – Succeeded by:  Miguel Mora Porras Second term: 8 May 1866 to 1 November 1868 – Preceded by:  Jesús Jiménez Zamora (first term) – Succeeded by:  Jesús Jiménez Zamora (second term) Date of birth: 1 September 1818 Place of birth: San José Date of death: 4 April 1892 Place of death: San José Party:

José María Castro Madriz wielded executive power in Costa Rica on two occasions: 1847 to 1849, and the "Founder of the Republic of Costa Rica".

He was elected head of state in 1847, during the disintegration of the United States of Central America. On 31 August 1848 he formally declared Costa Rica an independent and sovereign republic, thus severing all ties with the moribund federation. He then served for another year as president of the independent nation before opposition pressure forced him to resign in November 1849.

He was elected again in 1866 but was overthrown in a coup d'état two years later.

José María Castro Madriz was a Freemason.