- Juan Bautista Sacasa
Juan Bautista Sacasa (1874-1946) was President of
Nicaragua from 1933-1936. Born in the town of León, Sacasa studied in theUnited States from 1889 to 1901, earning anM.D. fromColumbia University . He served as a professor and dean of faculty at the National University in León, and was a supporter of the Liberal regime ofJosé Santos Zelaya . In 1924, Sacasa became Vice President as part of a political coalition headed by moderate Conservative Carlos Solórzano. Shortly afterwards, the detachment ofU.S. Marines which had remained inNicaragua 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 GeneralEmiliano Chamorro , who failed to gain U.S. recognition and subsequently resigned in favor ofAdolfo Díaz . In the meantime, Sacasa fled toMexico .Following an uprising by Liberal soldiers in
Puerto Cabezas , on the Caribbean coast, Sacasa returned toNicaragua in 1926. Asserting his claim as constitutional president, he established a government inPuerto Cabezas . Supplied by Mexico with arms and munitions, the Liberal rebels, under the command of General José María Moncada, nearly succeeded in capturingManagua . However, the U.S. forced the two warring parties to enter into negotiations, resulting in theEspino 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 namedAugusto Sandino would lead a guerilla war against theU.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 namedAnastasio 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 fromSomoza . Despite Sacasa's disapproval, he proved unable to contain the growing power ofSomoza and the National Guard. His popularity continued to diminish as Nicaragua's fragile economy suffered the collapse of coffee prices due to theGreat 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 inLos Angeles until his death ten years later.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.