Fidel Sánchez Hernández

Fidel Sánchez Hernández (July 7, 1917 – February 28, 2003) was a Salvadorean politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1967 to 1972.[1] During his rule, Sánchez Hernández faced war and economic turmoil.

Fidel Sánchez Hernández
35th President of El Salvador
In office
July 1, 1967  October 15, 1972
Vice PresidentHumberto Guillermo Cuestas
Preceded byJulio Adalberto Rivera
Succeeded byArturo Armando Molina
Personal details
Born(1917-07-07)July 7, 1917
El Divisadero, El Salvador
DiedFebruary 28, 2003(2003-02-28) (aged 85)
San Salvador, El Salvador
Political partyNational Conciliation Party
ProfessionMilitary, politician
Military service
Allegiance El Salvador
Branch/serviceSalvadoran Army
RankGeneral
Battles/warsFootball War

Life

Before becoming president, Sánchez Hernández was an army general in El Salvador and had brief stints as a military attaché in Washington (after his participation in the overthrow of José María Lemus in 1960) and in Paris. President Julio Adalberto Rivera promoted him to Minister of the Interior in 1962, and he served in that office until 1967, when he succeeded Rivera to the position of president. He continued Rivera's progressive programs and created a mostly civilian cabinet. The 1967 election was considered one of the few in the period of military domination to have been fairly conducted; the gains made by the opposition (winning a majority of the popular vote) in the legislative and local elections the following year suggested El Salvador was on the road to democratisation, a trend that would not be continued as elections in the 1970s were blatantly rigged.

In July 1969, Sánchez Hernández led the Salvadoran army in its brief but violent Football War against Honduras. He had much success, occupying a large part of that country. But, under a cease-fire agreement arranged by the Organization of American States, Sánchez Hernández agreed to pull his troops out, much to the opposition of many of his military leaders.

The war with Honduras led to much economic distress in El Salvador. Refugees, mostly Salvadorans that resided in Honduras, poured into the country and Honduras closed off trade routes.

Sánchez Hernández remained president until 1972[2] and was succeeded by Colonel Arturo Armando Molina.

On the night of February 28, 2003, Sánchez Hernández, aged 85, died of a heart attack while being taken to a military hospital in El Salvador.

Orders and Decorations

Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2017-01-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Biografia de Fidel Sánchez Hernández". www.biografiasyvidas.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-07-16.
Political offices
Preceded by
Julio Adalberto Rivera
President of El Salvador
1967–1972
Succeeded by
Arturo Armando Molina


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.