Francisco Morazán
José Francisco Morazán Quesada (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈsisko moɾaˈsan]; born October 3, 1792 – September 15, 1842) was a liberal Central American politician and general who served as president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. Before he was president of Central America he was the head of state of Honduras. He rose to prominence at the Battle of La Trinidad on November 11, 1827. Morazán then dominated the political and military scene of Central America until his execution in 1842.
Francisco Morazán | |
|---|---|
Painting of Morazán, 1878 | |
| 2nd President of Central America | |
| In office 14 February 1835 – 1 February 1839 | |
| Preceded by | José Salazar (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Diego Vigil (interim) |
| In office 16 September 1830 – 16 September 1834 | |
| Preceded by | José Barrundia (interim) |
| Succeeded by | José Salazar (interim) |
| In office 14 June 1829 – 25 June 1829 Interim President | |
| Preceded by | Mariano Beltranena (interim) |
| Succeeded by | José Barrundia (interim) |
| Head of State of Costa Rica | |
| In office 11 April 1842 – 11 September 1842 | |
| Preceded by | Braulio Carrillo Colina |
| Succeeded by | António Pinto Soares |
| Head of State of El Salvador | |
| In office 3 April 1832 – 13 May 1832 Provisional Head of State | |
| Preceded by | José María Cornejo |
| Succeeded by | Joaquín de San Martín |
| Head of State of Honduras | |
| In office 22 April 1830 – 28 July 1830 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Ángel Arias |
| Succeeded by | José Santos del Valle |
| In office 2 December 1829 – 24 December 1829 | |
| Preceded by | Diego Vigil |
| Succeeded by | Juan Ángel Arias |
| In office 26 November 1827 – 30 June 1828 Provisional Head of State | |
| Preceded by | Miguel Eusebio Bustamante |
| Succeeded by | Diego Vigil |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Francisco Morazán Quesada 3 October 1792 Tegucigalpa, Guatemala, New Spain (now Honduras) |
| Died | 15 September 1842 (aged 49) San José, Costa Rica |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Resting place | Cemetery of Distinguished Citizens, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Nationality | Honduran |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Spouse |
María Josefa Lastiri
(m. 1825) |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Politician, lawyer |
| Signature | |
In the political arena, Francisco Morazán was recognized as a visionary and great thinker, as he attempted to transform Central America into one large and progressive nation. He enacted liberal reforms in the new Federal Republic of Central America, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Morazán also limited church power by making marriage secular and abolishing government-aided tithing.
These reforms made him some powerful enemies, and his period of rule was marked by bitter infighting between liberals and conservatives. But through his military skills, Morazán was able to keep a firm grip on power until 1837, when the Federal Republic became irrevocably fractured. This was exploited by the conservative leaders, who rallied around the leadership of Rafael Carrera and in order to protect their own interests, ended up dividing Central America into five nations.