José María Montealegre Fernández
Encyclopedia
José María Montealegre Fernández was President
of Costa Rica
from 1859 to 1863.
Born into a wealthy family of coffee plantation owners, he was sent to study medicine in Aberdeen
, where he graduated as a surgeon.
He came to power through a coup d'état
against Juan Rafael Mora. In the first months of his presidency he convened a constitutional conventional, which produced the Constitution of 1859.
Under the new constitution he was popularly elected to a three-year presidential term in 1860, after which he handed on the presidency, peacefully and democratically, to Jesús Jiménez
.
After earning the animosity of President Tomás Guardia, Montealegre decided to leave Costa Rica. He died in San Jose, California
and his mortal remains laid near Mission San Jose (located in what is now Fremont, CA) until they were repatriated in 1978.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
from 1859 to 1863.
Born into a wealthy family of coffee plantation owners, he was sent to study medicine in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, where he graduated as a surgeon.
He came to power through a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against Juan Rafael Mora. In the first months of his presidency he convened a constitutional conventional, which produced the Constitution of 1859.
Under the new constitution he was popularly elected to a three-year presidential term in 1860, after which he handed on the presidency, peacefully and democratically, to Jesús Jiménez
Jesús Jiménez Zamora
Jesús María Ciriaco Jiménez Zamora was President of Costa Rica on two occasions:1863 to 1866, and 1868 to 1870.He was popularly elected in 1863, but dissolved Congress two months into his term of office. During his presidency he granted asylum to former Salvadoran President Gen...
.
After earning the animosity of President Tomás Guardia, Montealegre decided to leave Costa Rica. He died in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and his mortal remains laid near Mission San Jose (located in what is now Fremont, CA) until they were repatriated in 1978.