José María Lemus - Misplaced Pages

President of El Salvador from 1956 to 1960

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lemus and the second or maternal family name is López.

Lieutenant ColonelJosé María Lemus


30th President of El Salvador
In office 14 September 1956 – 26 October 1960
Vice President	Humberto Costa
Preceded by	Óscar Osorio
Succeeded by	Junta of Government Eusebio Cordón Cea as President

Personal details
Born	22 July 1911 La Unión, El Salvador
Died	31 March 1993(1993-03-31) (aged 81) San José, Costa Rica
Political party	Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification
Spouse	Coralia Párraga de Lemus
Children	7
Occupation	Politician, military
Military service
Allegiance	El Salvador
Branch/service	Salvadoran Army
Years of service	1933–1960
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel José María Lemus López (22 July 1911 – 31 March 1993) was president of El Salvador from 14 September 1956 to 26 October 1960. Before becoming a president, he served as an undersecretary of defense and a minister of the interior.

Life and career

He was born into a family of humble beginnings in La Unión, El Salvador. He was undersecretary of defense from 1948-1949. As President Óscar Osorio's choice for the successor to presidency, he antagonized many by fighting against corruption. Having won the disputed election of 1956, he appointed prominent civilians into his government and allowed many exiles to return the country.

He was a member of the Party of Democratic Unification. He continued socio-economic reforms of his predecessor, but there was no improvement in the living standards of the working class. He promulgated the Tenant Law, which protects the rights of the renters of houses or "Mesones, called also Vecindades" (apartment units with shared bathrooms). The law stipulating that landlords cannot increase the rent more than 10% every year made rent contract in houses obligatory with the objective of protecting the renter.

His government repealed the anti-sedition laws, therefore antagonizing the military. His government's decision to control the production of coffee infuriated the public. Soon after the Cuban revolution, there were widespread student protests. There was a subsequent roundup of dissidents and protesters.

Overthrow and death

Main article: 1960 Salvadoran coup d'état

Following these uncertainties, he was overthrown in a bloodless coup and a new, short-lived Junta government was formed consisting of three military (Miguel Ángel Castillo, César Yanes Urías, Rubén Alonso Rosales) and three civilian (Ricardo Falla Cáceres, Fabio Castillo Figueroa, Rene Fortín Magaña).

After his exile, he lived in New York City until his death in San Jose, Costa Rica. He died of Hodgkin's lymphoma, leaving behind a wife and eight children.

References

"Terra España - Noticias, deportes, música, moda y más". Terra.es. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

Political offices
Preceded byÓscar Osorio	President of El Salvador 1956–1960	Succeeded byMilitary Junta

v t e Heads of state of El Salvador
Post-independence (1821–1823)	Barriere Delgado Filísola Codallos Consultive Junta Prado
Federal Republic of Central America (1823–1841)	J. Rodríguez Prado J. V. Villacorta Prado Cornejo J. D. Villacorta Cornejo Morazán J. San Martín Prado J. San Martín C. Salazar G. Salazar Escolán Silva Espinoza F. Gómez Vigil T. Menéndez Vigil T. Menéndez Cañas Morazán Silva Cañas Ramírez Lindo
Republic of El Salvador (1841–1931)	Lindo Arce Marín J. J. Guzmán D. Villacorta Marín J. J. Guzmán Arce Palacios Malespín Palacios J. E. Guzmán Palacios Aguilar Palacios Aguilar Medina Quirós Vasconcelos R. Rodríguez Vasconcelos Dueñas Quirós Dueñas J. M. San Martín Dueñas V. Gómez J. M. San Martín J. Hernández J. M. San Martín Dueñas Campo Dueñas Campo Zepeda Santín Barrios Santín J. E. Guzmán Peralta Barrios Dueñas González Méndez González del Valle Zaldívar Guirola Zaldívar Figueroa Rosales F. Menéndez C. Ezeta A. Ezeta Gutiérrez Regalado Escalón Figueroa M. Araujo C. Meléndez Quiñónez C. Meléndez Quiñónez J. Meléndez Quiñónez P. Romero A. Araujo
Military presidents (1931–1979)	Civic Directory Hernández Martínez A. Menéndez Hernández Martínez A. Menéndez Aguirre Castaneda Revolutionary Council of Government Osorio Lemus Junta of Government Civic-Military Directory Cordón Rivera F. Sánchez A. Molina C. Romero
Salvadoran Civil War (1979–1992)	Revolutionary Government Junta Magaña Duarte Cristiani
Post-Civil War (since 1992)	Cristiani Calderón Flores Saca Funes S. Sánchez Bukele C. Rodríguez
– Acting or provisional president – Military junta

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