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Rafael Zaldívar
President of El Salvador
In office 1 May 1876 – 21 June 1885
Preceded by	Andrés del Valle
Succeeded by	José Rosales Herrador
Personal details
Born	1834 San Alejo, Federal Republic of Central America
Died	2 March 1903(1903-03-02) (aged 68–69) Paris, France
Nationality	Salvadoran
Political party	Liberal
Occupation	Politician, diplomat

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Rafael Zaldívar (1834 – 2 March 1903) was President of El Salvador from 1 May 1876 until 21 June 1885, and later a diplomat.

Zaldívar studied medicine in Europe and began his career as a physician. In 1860 he was appointed to the Chair of Philosophy and Hygiene at the University of Guatemala. After leaving this post, Zaldívar entered politics and was elected to the House of Representatives, then to the Senate, and finally elected president in 1876.

It was under his administration that liberal reforms abolished the existence of collectively owned ejidos and tierras comunales throughout the country. He also remains a key figure in what later became known as the "Coffee Revolution." It was Rafael Zaldívar who introduced reforms that paved the way for cultivation on large scale. Under the Zaldívar administration, virgin land was turned into farmlands. This was done by allowing for the sale of Indigenous lands. Resistance resulted from Indigenous Salvadorans, but it was quelled by the Zaldívar government, mostly by creating and then deploying a rural police force.

President Zaldívar was not in favour of the proposed rebirth of the Unified Central Republic agreed to by his predecessors and decided to withdraw from the Union. He was later overthrown in a military coup and succeeded by General Francisco Menéndez. He was appointed as his country's Envoy Extraordnairy and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom in early 1900, and later held the same position to France. He died in Paris in 1903 while serving as his country's minister to France.

References

1. "Rafael Zaldivar". The Biographical Magazine. 1 (10): 10–11. August 1884.
2. ^ "Dr. Rafael Zaldivar Dead". The Washington Post. 5 March 1903.
3. "Rafael Zaldívar". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
4. "No. 27172". The London Gazette. 9 March 1900. p. 1629.

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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