Francisco Gómez de Altamirano y de Elizondo (August 5, 1796 in

Cartago, Costa Rica Cartago () is the head city of Cartago canton of the Cartago Province, and is composed of the Oriental and Occidental districts as stated in the administrative divisions of Costa Rica. It was the capital of Costa Rica from 1574 to 1824. History ...

– May 17, 1838 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 H ...

) was a

Central American Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Cen ...

licenciado A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin A ...

, military officer and Liberal politician. From November 15, 1835 to February 1, 1836 he was chief of state of the state of El Salvador within the

Central American Federation 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 ...

. Gómez's parents were José Luis Goméz de Altamirano y Gazo, a

Peninsular A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

, and Bartola de Elizondo, a native of Cartago. He was sent to

Metapán Metapán is a city and municipality in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. Metapán is situated in the northern part of the department, bordering Honduras and Guatemala. It is the second largest city in the department after Santa Ana and ...

, El Salvador as a child. Later he studied law in Guatemala, becoming a licenciado. Having accumulated some money, he moved back to Metapán, where he married Catalina Rodríguez. He also brought his father, now widowed, to live with him. He was part of the city council of Metapán in November 1811, when the first independence revolt broke out. He joined with the other council members in opposing this, although he was secretly a supporter of independence. He moved to

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

, where he also became a member of the city council. He edited the ''Instrucciones'', in which he expressed very liberal ideas. Upon the proclamation of independence, he joined the patriot cause and fought in the war against Imperial Mexico (1822–23). He attained the rank of captain. He was elected a deputy in the Legislature in 1826. Later he returned to the army of the state, when El Salvador and Honduras withdrew recognition of the federal authorities. He served under General

Francisco Morazán José Francisco Morazán Quesada (; born October 3, 1792 – September 15, 1842) was a Central American politician who served as president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. Before he was president of Central America h ...

, whose confidence he gained. He was promoted to colonel. On October 10, 1827 in

Izalco Izalco (in Nawat: ''Itzalku'') is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. Volcan Izalco is an icon of the country of El Salvador, a very young Volcano on the flank of Santa Ana volcano. From when it was born in 1770 until 1 ...

he presented to federal President

Manuel José Arce Manuel José Arce y Fagoaga (1 January 1787 – 14 December 1847) was a decorated salvadoran General and president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1825 to 1829, followed by Francisco Morazán. Background Manuel José Arce was ...

El Salvador's peace proposals. On November 15, 1835, Morazán made him chief of state of El Salvador state, replacing Nicolás Espinoza. He served on an interim basis, until he was replaced by Diego Vigil on February 1, 1836. Francisco Gómez was assassinated in

on May 17, 1838.

References

*This article is a free translation of the article at the Spanish Wikipedia.

External links

Short biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Francisco 1796 births 1838 deaths Presidents of El Salvador Assassinated Salvadoran politicians People murdered in Guatemala People from Metapán