Emilio Álvarez Montalván

Emilio ÁLVAREZ MONTALVÁN (born 31 July 1919) is a Nicaraguan ophthalmologist and a former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua.

Biography

In 1919, Emilio Álvarez Montalván was born on 31 July in Managua, Nicaragua. In 1946 (age 27), Álvarez received a Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery from the "School of Medicine, University of Chile", cum laude. He studied ophthalmology at the "Instituto de Oftalmología", Buenos Aires, Argentina (1949). His post-graduate studies included work at the "National Center for Ophthalmology" in Paris, France, the "Institute of Ophthalmology" in London, Great Britain, and the "New York Eye and Ear Infirmary" in New York, NY, U.S.A.

In addition to his career in medicine and surgery, Álvarez was an active participant in Nicaraguan politics, and a writer of international repute. In 1954–55 (age 35 to 36), he suffered political incarceration for a year during the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza García. In 1996 (age 77), he was appointed Foreign Minister of Nicaragua.^[1]

After his retirement from public office and medical practice, Álvarez continued to influence national policy through published articles and lectures on politics, with special emphasis on national political culture. In 2006 and 2007 (age 87 and 88), he was awarded honorary doctorates for his research and contributions to the latter. Emilio Alvarez is married to Carmen Guerra and has six children and thirteen grandchildren.

Career

• Doctor of Ophthalmology
• Founder of the "Clínica Oftalmológica del Hospital Bautista", for the poor (1949)
• Chief of services of Ophthalmology at the "Hospital el Retiro", Managua, Nicaragua (1950)
• Founder and Director of the "Centro de Oftalmología, Clinica y Eye Hospital".
• Editor of the magazine "Medica", Managua, Nicaragua (1958)
• Founder and first President of "Ética y Transparencia"
• President of the "Juventud Conservadora"
• National Vice-president of the Conservative Party of Nicaragua (1967)
• Director of "Escuela de Formación Política" of Nicaragua (1968)
• Member of the editorial board of "La Prensa", Managua, Nicaragua (1968–1983)
• Columnist for "La Prensa", Managua, Nicaragua beginning (1976)
• Consultant to the Conservative Party of Nicaragua (1981)
• Pre-candidate for President of the Republic for the Conservative Party (1990)
• Personal representative of President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro to negotiate with the "Army of the Resistance" (1991)
• Founder and first President of "Grupo Fundemos" (1990)
• Columnist for "La Tribuna" - 1994
• Distinguished Member of the Academy of Nicaragua for the Spanish Language (1996)^[2]
• President of the Academy of History and Geography (1997)^[3]
• Perpetual Honorary President of the Conservative Party of Nicaragua
• Consultant to the "Grupo Fundemos"
• President of the "Fundación Cultural Nicaragua China".
• Eventual Collaborator of La Prensa, Managua
• Foreign Minister of Nicaragua (1997–1998)

Honoraria

• Gold Medal of the "Sociedad Nicaragüense de Oftalmología"
• Bernardo O'Higgins Order of Merit, Chile (1984)
• Academic Award, France (1985)
• Cruz del Sur, Brazil (1997)
• Brilliant Star of the Republic of China, Taiwan (1997)
• Grand Cross of the "Order of Jose Dolores Estrada", Government of Nicaragua (1998)
• San Martinianas Award of the "Instituto San Martin", Buenos Aires Argentina (1998)
• Gran Cordon Orden del "Tesoro Sagrado", by His Majesty, Emperor Akito of Japan (2003)^[4]
• Honorary Doctor of Science, Thomas Moore University (2006)
• Honorary Doctor of Science, Ave Maria College of the Americas (2007)
• Honorary member, Instituto de estudios para la Gobernabilidad y Democracia (2008)

Bibliography

• El mensaje de los ojos (The message of the eyes), Managua, 1984)^[5]
• Síntesis Crítica del Marxismo (1986)^[6]
• Las fuerzas armadas en Nicaragua: Sinópsis histórica, 1821-1994", Managua, 1994.
• Cultura Política Nicaragüense, 2nd edition (2000)^[7]
• Los períodos de la medicina Nicaragüense.

References