Juan Bautista Sacasa

Juan Bautista Sacasa

Juan Bautista Sacasa (1874-1946) was President of Nicaragua from 1933-1936. Born in the town of León, Sacasa studied in the United States from 1889 to 1901, earning an M.D. from Columbia University. He served as a professor and dean of faculty at the National University in León, and was a supporter of the Liberal regime of José Santos Zelaya. In 1924, Sacasa became Vice President as part of a political coalition headed by moderate Conservative Carlos Solórzano. Shortly afterwards, the detachment of U.S. Marines which had remained in Nicaragua for thirteen years withdrew, believing that the political situation was stable. In October 1925, the government of Solórzano was overthrown in a coup by former President General Emiliano Chamorro, who failed to gain U.S. recognition and subsequently resigned in favor of Adolfo Díaz. In the meantime, Sacasa fled to Mexico.

Following an uprising by Liberal soldiers in Puerto Cabezas, on the Caribbean coast, Sacasa returned to Nicaragua in 1926. Asserting his claim as constitutional president, he established a government in Puerto Cabezas. Supplied by Mexico with arms and munitions, the Liberal rebels, under the command of General José María Moncada, nearly succeeded in capturing Managua. However, the U.S. forced the two warring parties to enter into negotiations, resulting in the Espino Negro pact, which required that both sides would disarm and Díaz would be allowed to finish his term. Sacasa reluctantly agreed to accept the agreement and withdraw his claim to the presidency. Over the next six years, a formerly obscure Liberal general named Augusto Sandino would lead a guerilla war against the U.S. Marines, who had remained in the country to enforce the agreement.

In 1932, Sacasa was elected President. He took office on January 1, 1933, the day before the scheduled departure of the Marines. At the insistence of the U.S. Ambassador, he named Anastasio Somoza, who was married to one of his nieces, as director of the Guardia Nacional (National Guard). The following month, Sacasa met with the rebel leader Sandino, during which Sandino pledged his loyalty to the new government amnesty and land for his followers. Sandino continued to call for the disbanding of the National Guard and, in February 1934, he was assassinated under orders from Somoza. Despite Sacasa's disapproval, he proved unable to contain the growing power of Somoza and the National Guard. His popularity continued to diminish as Nicaragua's fragile economy suffered the collapse of coffee prices due to the Great Depression and allegations of widespread fraud surfaced the 1934 congressional elections. Meanwhile, Somoza's power continued to grow, and he cultivated ties with former presidents Moncada and Chamorro. Early in 1936, Somoza used the National Guard to purge local officials loyal to the president and replace them with his associates. On June 6, he forced Sacasa to resign, appointing a series of puppet presidents before assuming the presidency himself the following year. Afterwards, Sacasa fled into exile in the U.S., living in Los Angeles until his death ten years later.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Juan Bautista Sacasa — Sacasa (* 21. Dezember 1874 in Leon, Nicaragua; † 17. April 1946 Los Angeles, USA) war vom 1. Januar 1933 bis zum 9. Juni 1936 Präsident von Nicaragua. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Guerra Constitucionalista …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Juan Bautista Sacasa — Mandats Président du Nicaragua 1er  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Juan Bautista Sacasa — Presidente de Nicaragua 1 de enero de 1933 – 9 de junio de 1936 Predecesor …   Wikipedia Español

  • Sacasa, Juan Bautista — ▪ president of Nicaragua born Dec. 21, 1874, León, Nicaragua died April 17, 1946, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.  Nicaraguan statesman who served as his country s president in 1932–36.       Sacasa studied in the United States from 1889 to 1901,… …   Universalium

  • Sacasa — Juan Bautista Sacasa Sacasa (* 21. Dezember 1874 Leon, Nicaragua; † 17. April 1946 Los Angeles, USA) war vom 1. Januar 1933 bis zum 9. Juni 1936 Präsident von Nicaragua. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Guerra Constitucionalista …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sacasa — Sacasa, Juan Bautista Sacasa, Roberto …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sacasa, Juan Bautista — ► (1874 1946) Político y médico nicaragüense. Fue presidente de la República en 1932 36 …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Roberto Sacasa — Sarria (* 27. Februar 1840 in Chinandega; † 2. Juli 1896 in Managua) war vom 5. August 1889 bis zum 1. Januar 1891 und vom 1. März 1891 bis zum 31. Mai 1893 Präsident von Nicaragua. Leben Er war verheiratet mit seiner Cousine Ángela Sacasa Cuadra …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roberto Sacasa — Mandats Président du Nicaragua 5 août 1889 – 1er janvier 1889 Prédécesseur Nicolás Osorno …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Roberto Sacasa Sarria — (* 27. Februar 1840 in Chinandega; † 2. Juli 1896 in Managua) war vom 5. August 1889 bis zum 1. Januar 1891 und vom 1. März 1891 bis zum 31. Mai 1893 Präsident von Nicaragua. Leben Er war verheiratet mit seiner Cousine Ángela Sacasa Cuadra. Sein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”