Alberto Cañas Escalante (born March 16, 1920[1] in San José, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican politician, as well as a diplomat, lawyer and playwright. He co-founded one of Costa Rica's biggest law firms, Facio & Cañas. He was considered a very important figure in the cultural, political and social life of Costa Rica in the second half of the twentieth century. He was ambassador to the United Nations (1948-49),[1] vice-minister of External Relations (1955-1956),[1] and was a Legislator twice (1962–1966 and 1994–1998). He was also the first Ministro de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes (Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports) (1970-74)[1] and chairmain of the Diario de Costa Rica and La Republica newspapers. Also as a journalist, he was editor of Excelsior and column-writer in La Nación, La Prensa Libre and Semanario Universidad.