Juan Nepomuceno Fernández Lindo y Zelaya (generally known as Juan Lindo) (16 May 1790,
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...
,
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
– 23 April 1857,
Gracias, Honduras
Gracias () is a small Honduras, Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and is the capital of Lempira Department.
The municipality has a population of 57,182 and the town a population of 16,680 (2020 calculation). It is located in ...
) was a Conservative Central American politician, provisional president of the Republic of
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
from 1841 to 1842 and of the Republic of Honduras from 1847 to 1852.
Background
Lindo was born into a landholding family. He was the son of a
Spanish Jew.
There is some question about his birth and death dates. Some sources give 1790 for his birth and some give 1853 for his death. In 1814 he became a lawyer (''licenciado en derecho'') at the
Universidad de San Carlos in
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...
. After graduation, he worked for the Spanish regime. After the independence of Central America from Spain, he was
intendente of the Province of
Comayagua
Comayagua () is a city, municipality and old capital of Honduras, located northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula and above sea level.
The accelerated growth experienced by the city of Comayagua led the municipal authorit ...
(1821). He was one of the promoters of
annexation of Central America to the Mexican Empire of
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), full name Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu and also known as Agustín of Mexico, was a Mexican army general and politician. During the Mexican War of Independence, he built ...
, which he favored over Guatemala.
He was elected deputy to the Legislative Assembly of Honduras in 1826. The following year he aided Conservative
José Justo Milla
José Justo Milla Pineda (1794 in Gracias – 1838) was a Honduran military leader who was the governor of the state of Honduras within the Federal Republic of Central America from 10 May 1827 to 13 September 1827. He was a member of the Lib ...
in his defeat of Honduran Chief of State
Dionisio de Herrera
José Dionisio de la Trinidad de Herrera y Díaz del Valle (9 October 1781 in Choluteca, Honduras – 13 June 1850 in San Vicente, El Salvador) was a Liberal Honduran politician, head of state of Honduras from 1824 to 1827 and head of s ...
. He was a deputy to the constituent assembly that was convoked in June 1838, where he represented the Conservative Party. From his position in the assembly, he promoted the separation of Honduras from the
Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America ( es, República Federal de Centroamérica), originally named the United Provinces of Central America ( es, Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), and sometimes simply called Central America, in it ...
, in October 1838.
As chief of state of El Salvador
In 1840 he traveled to El Salvador, where with the help of General
Francisco Malespín he became secretary of state, from October 1840 to January 1841. Afterwards he was elected provisional chief of state of the State of El Salvador, from 7 January to 22 February 1841, succeeding Colonel
Antonio José Cañas Quintanilla. That day, the constituent assembly declared El Salvador independent of the Central American Federation, and Lindo became President of the now-independent republic, serving until 1 February 1842.
Lindo named General and Licienciado
Norberto Ramírez
Norberto Ramírez Áreas (15 April 1802, León, Nicaragua – 11 July 1856, León, Nicaragua) was a Nicaraguan lawyer and politician who served as acting Supreme Chief of El Salvador (20 September 1840 – 7 January 1841), still technically a pa ...
minister. On 16 February 1841 the constituent assembly issued the decree establishing the
University of El Salvador. Lindo ordered the establishment of schools in every village and valley of the country with at least 150 inhabitants. He ordered the local authorities fined if they did not establish the schools and require attendance.
As president of Honduras
In 1842 he returned to Honduras and established himself at Comayagua. After General
Francisco Ferrera
Francisco Ferrera (29 January 1794 – 10 April 1851) was a president of Honduras. He was born in San Juan de Flores, Honduras.
Ferrera joined the guerrerista campaigns of General Francisco Morazán
José Francisco Morazán Quesada (; ...
declined to serve as president, the Honduran assembly elected Lindo constitutional president, a position he exercised from 12 February 1847 to 4 February 1848. During his term he established the University of Honduras (''
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras'') and promulgated a new constitution. In accordance with the new constitution, he was elected for a second term, which ended on 1 February 1852.
In his second administration in Honduras, General
José Santos Guardiola
José Santos Guardiola Bustillo (1 November 1816 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras – 11 January 1862 in Comayagua, Honduras) was a two-term President of Honduras from 17 February 1856 to 7 February 1860 and from 7 February 1860 to his death on 11 Janu ...
, appointed by Lindo, revolted in Tegucigalpa against the National Assembly, with the intent of taking prisoner General Ferrera and Don Coronado Chávez, who were intriguing against Lindo. Felipe Bustillo, who had taken over government functions from Lindo, fled to
Copán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a fer ...
, and Lindo resumed the presidency. Ferrera and Chávez fled to El Salvador. Guardiola later revolted against Lindo, but was defeated and went into voluntary exile.
Lindo signed an alliance with Salvadoran president
Doroteo Vasconcelos
Doroteo Vasconcelos Vides y Ladrón de Guevara (February 6, 1803–March 10, 1883) was President of El Salvador 7 February 1848 - 1 February 1850 and 4 February 1850 – 1 March 1851. Vasconcelos was close friend of Honduran general Francisc ...
to declare war on the government of Guatemala, headed by
Rafael Carrera
José Rafael Carrera y Turcios (24 October 1814 – 14 April 1865) was the president of Guatemala from 1844 to 1848 and from 1851 until his death in 1865, after being appointed President for life in 1854. During his military career and presiden ...
. Allied troops invaded Guatemalan territory, but were defeated by Carrera in the
Battle of La Arada
The Battle of La Arada () was fought on 2 February 1851 near the town of Chiquimula in Guatemala, between the forces of Guatemala and an Allied army from Honduras and El Salvador. As the most serious threat to Guatemala's liberty and sovere ...
on 2 February 1851.
At the end of Lindo's second term General
José Trinidad Cabañas
José Trinidad Cabañas Fiallos (9 June 1805– 8 January 1871) was a liberal Honduran military general and politician who served as President of Honduras on two separate occasions: From 1 March to 6 July 1852. And 31 December 1853 to 6 Jun ...
entered the presidency. Lindo retired from politics and established himself in the city of
Gracias
Gracias () is a small Honduran town/municipality that was founded in 1536, and is the capital of Lempira Department.
The municipality has a population of 57,182 and the town a population of 16,680 (2020 calculation). It is located in the mount ...
, department of
Lempira, where he died in 1857.
References
External links
Juan Lindo - President of El Salvador*
ttp://www.angelfire.com/ca5/mas/gobi/prs-t/jfl.html Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindo, Juan Nepomuceno Fernandez
1790 births
1857 deaths
People from Tegucigalpa
Honduran Roman Catholics
Honduran people of Spanish-Jewish descent
Presidents of El Salvador
Presidents of Honduras
Jewish presidents
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala alumni
19th-century Honduran people