José María Castro Madriz

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In this name that follows Hispanic American naming customs, the first or paternal surname is Castro and the second or maternal family name is Madriz.

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Founder of the Republic José María Castro Madriz LH
Portrait by Aquiles Bigot
1st and 5th President of Costa Rica
In office 8 May 1866 – 1 November 1868
Preceded by	Jesús Jiménez Zamora
Succeeded by	Jesús Jiménez Zamora
In office 8 May 1847 – 16 November 1849
Vice President	José María Alfaro Zamora Juan Rafael Mora Porras Manuel José Carazo Bonilla
Preceded by	José María Alfaro Zamora
Succeeded by	Miguel Mora Porras (Acting)
Second Designate to the Presidency
In office 10 August 1882 – 11 May 1885
President	Próspero Fernández Oreamuno Bernardo Soto Alfaro
Preceded by	Salvador Lara Zamora
Succeeded by	Apolinar Soto Quesada
Third Designate to the Presidency
In office 23 April 1881 – 10 August 1882
President	Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	José María Oreamuno y Oreamuno
<tbody> </tbody> Other positions 18th and 22nd President of the Supreme Court In office 21 October 1870 – 25 November 1873 Preceded by Juan José Ulloa Solares Succeeded by Vicente Sáenz Llorente In office 29 April 1860 – 8 May 1866 Preceded by Vicente Herrera Zeledón Succeeded by Manuel Alvarado y Barroeta Secretary of Foreign Affairs In office 16 August 1883 – 11 May 1885 President Próspero Fernández Oreamuno Bernardo Soto Alfaro Preceded by Eusebio Figueroa Oreamuno Succeeded by Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra In office 8 October 1877 – 2 April 1883 President Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez Próspero Fernández Oreamuno Preceded by Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez Succeeded by Eusebio Figueroa Oreamuno In office 25 November 1873 – 1 December 1873 President Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez Preceded by Lorenzo Montúfar y Rivera Succeeded by Luis Diego Sáenz Carazo In office 14 August 1859 – 17 August 1859 President Juan Rafael Mora Porras Preceded by Nazario Toledo Murga Succeeded by Jesús Jiménez Zamora In office 7 June 1846 – 8 May 1847 President José María Alfaro Zamora Preceded by Joaquín Calvo Rosales Succeeded by Joaquín Calvo Rosales In office 11 April 1844 – July 1844 President José María Alfaro Zamora Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Joaquín Calvo Rosales Vice President of Costa Rica In office 16 September 1846 – 8 May 1847 President José María Alfaro Zamora Preceded by Francisco Oreamuno Bonilla Succeeded by Manuel Antonio Bonilla Nava President of the House of Representatives In office 3 March 1845 – 1 March 1846 Member of the House of Representatives for Desamparados In office July 1844 – 1 March 1846
Personal details
Born	1 September 1818 San José, Captaincy General of Guatemala, Spanish Empire
Died	4 April 1892 (age 73) San José, Costa Rica
Party	Independent
Spouse	Pacífica Fernández Oreamuno ​ ​ (m. 1843; died 1885)​
Children	13
Parents	Ramón Castro y Ramírez Lorenza Madriz Cervantes
Relatives	António Pinto Soares (uncle-in-law) Próspero Fernández Oreamuno (brother-in-law) Minor Cooper Keith (son-in-law) Rafael Yglesias Castro (grandson)
Education	National Autonomous University of Nicaragua at León (DCL, PhD)
Occupation	Lawyer philosopher professor politician diplomat writer
Signature

José María Castro Madriz (1 September 1818 – 4 April 1892) was a Costa Rican intellectual and statesman who served as President of Costa Rica from 1847 to 1849 and from 1866 to 1868. Inaugurated at age 29, he was the youngest person to ever serve as President of Costa Rica. Over a public career spanning more than four decades, he held numerous offices of state and became the first person to preside over all three branches of the Costa Rican government.

He was indirectly elected president in 1847 and served until 1849 when he resigned under the threat of a coup. He was indirectly president again in 1866 and served 1868 when again he resigned under military pressure.

Ideologically a liberal, Castro was a strong believer in the principles of the Enlightenment and in freedom of the press. He pushed for reforms to strengthen democracy in Costa Rica. He was also a member of Freemasonry. Throughout his career, he advocated the abolition of the death penalty, antimilitarism, and free compulsory education.

On both occasions, Castro was prevented from completing his presidential term as a result of military coups. During his first presidency, on 31 August 1848, he proclaimed Costa Rica a sovereign republic, formally ending its remaining ties to the defunct Federal Republic of Central America. He also adopted the national tricolour flag designed by his wife, Pacífica Fernández.

Life

Castro was born in San José. He was the son of Ramón Castro y Ramírez and Lorenza Madriz Cervantes. He was educated at the University of León in Nicaragua, where he graduated as bachelor of philosophy and doctor of law. He occupied many public offices throughout his life, both before and after serving as President. He was the rector of the national University (which he had helped to create) for sixteen years, and served several administrations as cabinet minister and ambassador. He also presided over the judiciary (as chief judge of the Supreme Court of Justice from 1860 to 1866 and from 1870 to 1873) and the legislature (as president of the Congress of Deputies in 1844-1845 and of the fourth Constitutional Convention in 1859), making him the only other Costa Rican besides Ricardo Jiménez to have headed all three branches of the government.

An active Freemason, Castro was consistently critical of the political influence of the Roman Catholic Church. He was also a strong defender of freedom of the press at a time when many Costa Rican governments practiced widespread censorship. His constitutional reform of 1848, however, established the most restricted suffrage that ever existed in independent Costa Rica. As president his lack of a committed political base made him an easy target for overthrow by the military. As the minister of foreign affairs, education, justice, public aid, and religious affairs, Castro was the most influential figure in the government of his brother-in-law, President Próspero Fernández (1882–1885), and he was largely responsible for the anti-clerical legislation adopted by that government.

He was married to Pacífica Fernández, who designed the 1848 version of the Costa Rican flag. His daughter Cristina Fernández Castro married Minor C. Keith in 1883. Their grandson, Rafael Yglesias Castro, served as President of Costa Rica from 1894 to 1902.

Inaugurated at age 29, he was the youngest person to ever serve as President of Costa Rica.

Notes

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