Pedro José Escalón (March 25, 1847 – September 6, 1923) was born in
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Santa Ana () is the second largest city in El Salvador, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 374,830 (2017)) inhabitants and serves both as the c ...
. In 1865 he married Elena Rodríguez (died December 3, 1921) and they had three children: Dolores, Federico and Pedro.
He served as
President of El Salvador
The president of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de El Salvador), officially known as the President of the Republic of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de la República de El Salvador), is the Head of State, head of state and Head of Government, head ...
from 1 March 1903 to 1 March 1907; he was a military ruler. He died in
Santa Ana on September 6, 1923, aged 76. His ascension to the presidency was the first peaceful succession in many years, ushering in an era of political stability that ended with the events of 1931–32.
Background
Escalón was a landowner who held large estates. Escalón's presidency was paved by General
Tomas Regalado who, in 1903, after gaining and centralizing power, transferred power to him. Escalón's presidency also marked the beginning of democracy in the country. It was from his term in office that the law of every president being allowed a maximum of four years in office was put into effect.
References
Presidents of El Salvador
1847 births
1923 deaths
People from Santa Ana, El Salvador
Salvadoran military personnel
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