Fernando Figueroa
{{Short description|President of El Salvador in 1885 and from 1907 to 1911}}
{{about|the President of El Salvador in 1885 and 1907–1911|the Mexican footballer|Fernando Figueroa (footballer)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = General
| name = Fernando Figueroa
| image = File:Illus-059 (Salvador, 20th Century).jpg
| caption =
| order = 48th
| office = President of El Salvador
| term_start = 1 March 1907
| term_end = 1 March 1911
| vicepresident = Manuel Enrique Araujo
| predecessor = Pedro José Escalón
| successor = Manuel Enrique Araujo
| term_start2 = 14 May 1885
| term_end2 = 18 June 1885
Provisional President
| predecessor2 = Rafael Zaldívar
| successor2 = José Rosales Herrador
| office3 = Minister of National Defense
| term_start3 = 11 July 1906
| term_end3 = 1 March 1911
| president3 = Pedro José Escalón (1906–1907)
Himself (1907–1911)
| predecessor3 = Tomás Regalado
| successor3 = José María Peralta Lagos
| term_start4 = 1 March 1900
| term_end4 = 1 March 1903
| president4 = Tomás Regalado
| predecessor4 = Position established
| successor4 = Tomás Regalado
| birth_date = 4 March 1849
| birth_place = Ilobasco or San Vicente, El Salvador
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1919|06|16|1849|03|04|df=y}}
| death_place = San Salvador, El Salvador
| party = Liberal
| spouse = {{marriage|Luz Rodríguez|1878}}
| children = 6
| occupation = Military officer, politician
| allegiance = {{flag|El Salvador|1875}}
| branch = Salvadoran Army
| serviceyears = 1863–1885, 1890–1911
| rank = General
| battles = War of 1863
Barrios' War of Reunification
Second Totoposte War
Third Totoposte War
War of 1907
}}
Fernando Figueroa (4 March 1849 – 16 June 1919) was the President of El Salvador from 14 May to 18 June 1885 and again from 1 March 1907 to 1 March 1911. He also served twice as Minister of National Defense and Governor of San Vicente.
Early and personal life
Fernando Figueroa was born on 4 March 1849 in either Ilobasco or San Vicente, El Salvador.{{cite web|url=http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/ffigueroa1885.htm|title=Presidentes de El Salvador – General Fernando Figueroa|language=es|trans-title=Presidents of El Salvador – General Fernando Figueroa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302065908/http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/ffigueroa1885.htm|archive-date=2 March 2009|access-date=2 April 2021}}Martin 1911, p. 38 He married Luz Rodríguez in 1878 and they had six children, three daughters (María Luisa, Luz, and Carlota) and three sons. One of his sons married Marcela Gutiérrez, the daughter of General Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez, one of the leaders of the 1894 Revolution of the 44.{{cite web|url=http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/rguitierres1894.htm|title=Presidentes de El Salvador – General Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez|language=es|trans-title=Presidents of El Salvador – General Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302084939/http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/rguitierres1894.htm|archive-date=2 March 2009|access-date=1 September 2020}}
Military career
Figueroa enlisted in the Salvadoran Army in 1863 during the War of 1863 against Guatemala. During the war, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was a distinguished soldier. He was severely wounded in the fighting, and despite fighting for the losing side under President Gerardo Barrios, he was still promoted to Captain during the presidency of Francisco Dueñas. He waged war against Honduras three times, in 1871, 1872, and 1873.Martin 1911, p. 39
In 1873, President Santiago González Portillo appointed him as Governor of San Vicente. In 1876, he was promoted to the rank of General. Figueroa was given supreme command of government forces during Justo Rufino Barrios' War of Reunification and against Salvadoran revolutionaries who supported Barrios' war.
President of El Salvador, first term
President Rafael Zaldívar resigned on 14 May 1885. Upon his resignation, Figueroa became Provisional President. He appointed a cabinet consisting of Dr. Rafael Ayala as General Minister, Dr. Isidro F. Paredes as Minister of the Interior and Public Instruction, Dr. Domingo López as Minister of Housing and the Marine, and Dr. Daniel Miranda as Sub-secretary of Foreign Relations, Justice, Cults, and Beneficiaries. He resigned on 18 June 1885 and was replaced by José Rosales Herrador, retiring from politics.{{cite web|url=http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/jrosales1885.htm|title=Presidentes de El Salvador – Don José Rosales|language=es|trans-title=Presidents of El Salvador – Don José Rosales|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302085111/http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/jrosales1885.htm|archive-date=2 March 2009|access-date=2 April 2021}}
Inter-presidency
Figueroa came out of retirement in 1890 when President General Carlos Ezeta reappointed him as Governor of San Vicente.Martin 1911, p. 40 On 1 March 1900, he was appointed as Minister of National Defense by President General Tomás Regalado.{{cite web|url=https://www.fuerzaarmada.mil.sv/?page_id=737|title=Exministros de Defensa|website=Ministerio de la Defensa Nacional|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001232646/https://www.fuerzaarmada.mil.sv/?page_id=737|url-status=dead}}
President of El Salvador, second term
Figueroa was elected President of El Salvador for a second term and took office on 1 March 1907. In 1907, he led El Salvador in a war against Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvadoran rebels, which were led by José Santos Zelaya, the President of Nicaragua, General Manuel Rivas, a leader of the Revolution of the 44, and Prudencio Alfaro, the former Vice President of El Salvador from 1895 to 1898.Martin 1911, p. 61Appletons' 1895, p. 709{{cite web|url=https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1850-1899.html|title=Elections and Events 1850–1899|access-date=25 March 2021|publisher=The Library – UC San Diego|language=en|website=UC San Diego|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211303/https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1850-1899.html|url-status=dead}} The invasion violated the 1907 Central American Treaty of Peace and Amity which had been signed on 22 April 1907.Martin 1911, p. 72 On 11 June 1907, Figueroa gave a speech entitled "Proclamation to the Salvadoran People" in which he called on the army and people to stay loyal to him and resist the foreign invasion of the country.Martin 1911, pp. 62–63 The invasion was denounced by the international community.Martin 1911, p. 73 The United States intervened diplomatically and ended the war on 20 December 1907 with the signing of a peace treaty in Washington, D.C.Martin 1911, p. 75
His term expired on 1 March 1911 and he was succeeded by Manuel Enrique Araujo, his vice president during his term in office.{{cite web|url=https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1900-1934.html|title=Elections and Events 1900–1934|access-date=2 April 2021|publisher=The Library – UC San Diego|language=en|website=UC San Diego|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110082944/https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1900-1934.html|url-status=dead}} Figueroa was the last military President of El Salvador until Maximiliano Hernández Martínez assumed the presidency following the 1931 Salvadoran coup d'état.{{cite web|url=http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/mhmartinez1931.htm|title=Presidentes de El Salvador – General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez|language=es|trans-title=Presidents of El Salvador – General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223071646/http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/mhmartinez1931.htm|archive-date=23 February 2009|access-date=2 April 2021}}
Death
Electoral history
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Year ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Office ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Type ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Main opponent ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="4" | Votes for Figueroa ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Result ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Swing |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | % ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}. ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{tooltip|2=Change in percentage value since previous election|±%}} |
|---|
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 1907
| President of El Salvador | General | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | style="background-color:{{Party color|Military rule}};" | | Military | 152,053 | 99.76 | 1st | N/A | {{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Gain |
References
{{portal|El Salvador}}
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= Bibliography =
- {{cite book|title=Salvador of the Twentieth Century|url=https://archive.org/details/salvadortwentie00martgoog|first=Percy Falcke|last=Martin|publisher=Longmans, Green & Co|year=1911|language=en}}
- {{cite journal|title=Salvador|journal=Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year|publisher=D. Appleton & Company|date=1895|location=Cornell University|issue=19; 34}}
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{{succession box|title=President of El Salvador|before=Pedro José Escalón|after=Manuel Enrique Araujo|years=1907–1911}}
{{succession box|title=President of El Salvador|before=Rafael Zaldívar|after=José Rosales Herrador|years=1885}}
{{s-end}}
{{Heads of state of El Salvador}}
{{Ministers of Defense of El Salvador}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Fernando}}
Category:20th-century presidents of El Salvador
Category:Finance ministers of El Salvador
Category:Salvadoran military personnel
Category:19th-century Salvadoran people