Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro
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Nicaraguan Postage, 1953
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro (b. June 21, 1818 in Granada, d. June 7, 1890 in Granada) was the President of Nicaragua from 1875-1879 and a member of the conservative dominant oligarchy Chamorro family.
At an early age, he left off studies to dedicate himself, together with his brother Dionisio, to the management of paternal inheritances under the guidance of their half-brother Fruto Chamorro. His first marriage was to N. Guadamuz; his second marriage was with María de la Luz Bolaños Bendaña in 1854.
In 1849 Pedro Joaquín Chamorro became mayor of Granada and in 1854, he participated in the defense of the city, besieged by Máximo Jerez. He also contributed to the struggle to expel William Walker, the American filibuster. In 1862 he dedicated himself to politics as Senator of the Department of Granada. In 1869, he became a member of the governing junta of Nicaragua. He was elected president in 1871 for four years, and again joined the ruling junta in 1885. In both his public and private life, Don Pedro was considered progressive by some and an opportunist by many others, when conservative forces would keep "campesinos" without access to education,. He represented a faction of the Granada oligarchy and maintained strong conservative principles, which in Latin America meant the the preservation of a feudal economic system, with an emphasis on trade. His influence would help form Nicaragua as a nation with the limitations of keeping the country and its economic resources under the control of a few families including the Chamorro and the few other families that still control Nicaragua economically today. He remained a political force in Nicaragua until his death on June 7, 1890.
[edit] References
- Recorrido Historico de las Principales Figuras de la Familia Chamorro, Emilio Alvarez Lejarza, Revista Consevadora del Pensamiento Centroamericano, Vol. XIX - No. 91 (Abril, 1968)
- Revisando la Historia de Nicaragua - 2004
| Preceded by Vicente Cuadra |
President of Nicaragua 1875-1879 |
Succeeded by Joaquín Zavala |
