Federico Hernández de León

Federico Hernández De León
Born March 4, 1883
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Died 1959
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Nickname «Chibolón Hernández»
Occupation
Language Spanish
Genre History
Spouse Gloria Mollineda
Children Aúrea and Alida Hernández

Federico Hernández de León (March 4, 1883 1959) was a Guatemalan writer, historian and journalist. He graduated from the Instituto Nacional Central para Varones of Guatemala, with a High School diploma in 1900. [1] Active politically, was arrested during the last few years of the government of president Manuel Estrada Cabrera, being held in the Central Penitentiary of Guatemala until the president was deposed on 14 April 1920.[2] After his release, he went straight to take over the Diario de Centro América semi-official newspaper of Guatemala at the time.[3] Later, he directed Nuestro Diario along with Carlos Bauer Aviles.[4]

Biography

General Jorge Ubico, President of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944

During his more than six years of imprisonment in the Central Penitentiary, Hernández de León suffered many indignities that left him on the brink of death; but his friend, the labor leader Silverio Ortiz advocated for him to the minister plenipotentiary of the United States, showing Hernández de León's bloody clothes [5]

After the fall of Estrada Cabrera in 1920, he was released and returned to journalism; he was in the legislature and in the National Congress in the 1920s and 1930s. On December 12, 1930 there was a lot of turmoil in the Guatemalan government after general Lázaro Chacón suffered a stroke that forced him to resign from office. Hernández de León was a first hand witness as he was in Congress and he was also de Director of newspaper Nuestro Diario.[6][7][8] In December, 1930 the following events occurred in a rapid succession:[6][7][9]

Silverio Ortiz, Guatemalan labor leader and Hernández's close friend

Affiliations

Legacy

When he was the Director of Nuestro Diario he hired a very young Clemente Marroquín Rojas[Note 3] as a columnist. Eventually Marroquín Rojas even took charge of the newspaper and wrote Hernández's column "Efemérides" while Hernández was out on commission.

Notes

  1. First cousin of late former president José María Orellana.
  2. Anzueto would eventually become one of President Jorge Ubico main supporters during his 14 year presidency.
  3. Who later became a famous Guatemalan journalist and also became Vicepresident of Guatemala in 1966.

References

  1. Who's Who n.d..
  2. De los Ríos 1948, p. 43.
  3. Red Boa 2012.
  4. Barnoya 2011.
  5. De los Ríos 1948, p. 322.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Time 1930.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Time 1931.
  8. Díaz Romeu 1996, pp. 37-42.
  9. Díaz Romeu 1996, pp. 3742.
  10. "Rare Distinction of Gen. Ubico's Election," San Antonio Express, February 12, 1931, p3

Bibliography