José Gustavo Guerrero (26 June 1876 – 25 October 1958) was a Salvadoran diplomat and jurist who served as the last president of the
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...
from 1937 to 1946 and the first president of the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
from 1946 to 1949. He also served as President of the Assembly of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
from 1929 to 1930.
Early life
José Gustavo Guerrero was born on 26 June 1876 in
San Salvador
San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...
, El Salvador. During the 1890s, Guerrero attended the University of El Salvador. He and other students were expelled from the university after issuing an open letter to Salvadoran president Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez criticizing his government. Guerrero then moved to Guatemala to attend the San Carlos University of Guatemala where he graduated as a
Doctor of Law
A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
in 1898. After Guerrero's graduation, he returned to El Salvador where President Tomás Regalado appointed him as his personal secretary.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, France. In 1911, he was appointed as El Salvador's extraordinary and plenipotentiary envoy to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, Italy. In June 1911, Guerrero attended the coronation of British king
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
George w ...
. In 1912, Guerrero became El Salvador's envoy to
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Spain, and in 1913, he became envoy to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France.
In 1927, Salvadoran president Pío Romero Bosque offered to appoint Guerrero as
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
but Guerrero declined. Guerrero later accepted the appointment due to pressure from his associates to accept the position. Guerrero became Minister of Foreign Affairs on 27 April 1927. As minister, he established the Diplomatic School of El Salvador. On 23 May 1927, Guerrero issued a decree that privatized the University of El Salvador. In 1928, Guerrero led the Salvadoran delegation at the VI Interamerican Conference in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Assembly of the League of Nations. He served until 1930.
Jurist career
Permanent Court of International Justice
In 1930, Guerrero was elected to a nine-year term as a justice of the
Permanent Court of International Justice
The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, Netherlands. He assumed office in 1931, and that year, he became the court's vice president. In 1936, Guerrero became the court's president. Upon the end of his nine-year term, Guerrero was re-elected to a second term.
During the
German invasion of the Netherlands
The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and Fran ...
in 1940, Guerrero and a group of Dutch officials personally blocked German soldiers from entering the Palace of the Permanent Court of International Justice. Guerrero was the only one of the court's justices to remain in The Hague during the invasion of the Netherlands. Eventually, however, Guerrero left the Netherlands. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
On 6 February 1946, Guerrero was elected as the first president of the newly-established
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
(ICJ). He served until 1949 when he became the court's vice president; he served as vice president until 5 February 1955. That day, he was elected to a second term as an ICJ justice through 1964.
Personal life
Guerrero had several children including Gustavo Adolfo who became a Salvadoran diplomat and ambassador.
Guerrero was a proponent of Central American reunification and the reestablishment of the
Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America (), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (), was a sovereign state in Central America that existed between 1823 and 1839/1841. The republic was composed of five states (Costa Rica ...
.
Death
Guerrero died on 25 October 1958 in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionAntiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador is named after him. The Doctor José Gustavo Guerrero Medal of Diplomatic Merit of El Salvador is also named after him.