Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich
Encyclopedia
Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich (10 March 1907 29 October 1969) was President of Costa Rica from 1962 to 1966.
He also ran for the presidency in 1958, but lost to Mario Echandi
. His grandfather on the Orlich side and his mother came to Costa Rica from the town of Punat on the island of Krk
, Croatia
. His villa in Punat
is named "Villa Costarica".
Together with his brothers he founded in 1928 FJ Orlich & Hnos Ltda. (FJ Orlich & Brothers Limited). At first a large supply store in his hometown of San Ramón, this eventually grew to become one of Costa Rica's largest coffee firms.
A long time friend of José Figueres, with whom he had traveled together to study in the United States, Orlich was Figueres' second in command within the National Liberation Army in the 1948 Civil War.
Following that, the National Liberation Party was founded in the Orlich family farm in La Paz, San Ramón.
He served in the National Junta after the war, then in Figueres cabinet when he was elected in 1952. After that he ran for president in 1958, but lost against Mario Echandi. He ran again in 1962, against the defeated 1948 leader Dr Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
, when he won the presidency.
Always called by his countrymen 'Don Chico', during his presidency he faced the major eruption of the Irazú volcano, that started just as U.S. President John F. Kennedy
was visiting Costa Rica and lasted for over a year, causing major agricultural damage and landslides in the city of Cartago
.
Don Chico left the presidency as a well loved figure and died of a stroke three years later.
He also ran for the presidency in 1958, but lost to Mario Echandi
Mario Echandi Jiménez
Mario José Echandi Jiménez was President of Costa Rica from 1958 to 1962.- As diplomat :Mario Echandi was a career diplomat....
. His grandfather on the Orlich side and his mother came to Costa Rica from the town of Punat on the island of Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. His villa in Punat
Punat
Punat is a municipality in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. There are 1,876 inhabitants, with 91% Croats. The town first appears in writings from AD 1377, but the exact date of foundation is not known. In the bay there is the little island of Košljun....
is named "Villa Costarica".
Together with his brothers he founded in 1928 FJ Orlich & Hnos Ltda. (FJ Orlich & Brothers Limited). At first a large supply store in his hometown of San Ramón, this eventually grew to become one of Costa Rica's largest coffee firms.
A long time friend of José Figueres, with whom he had traveled together to study in the United States, Orlich was Figueres' second in command within the National Liberation Army in the 1948 Civil War.
Following that, the National Liberation Party was founded in the Orlich family farm in La Paz, San Ramón.
He served in the National Junta after the war, then in Figueres cabinet when he was elected in 1952. After that he ran for president in 1958, but lost against Mario Echandi. He ran again in 1962, against the defeated 1948 leader Dr Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
Rafael Ángel del Socorro Calderón Guardia was the president of Costa Rica from 1940 to 1944.-Early life:Calderón was born on 10 March 1900 in San José. In his youth, Calderón studied in Costa Rica and Belgium, where he married Yvonne Clays Spoelders, who was later to be the first female diplomat of...
, when he won the presidency.
Always called by his countrymen 'Don Chico', during his presidency he faced the major eruption of the Irazú volcano, that started just as U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was visiting Costa Rica and lasted for over a year, causing major agricultural damage and landslides in the city of Cartago
Cartago, Costa Rica
- See also :* Cartago Agrarian Union Party* Provincial Integration Party Three* Cartago in Spanish...
.
Don Chico left the presidency as a well loved figure and died of a stroke three years later.