Luis Arturo González López (21 December 1900 – 11 November 1965) was a politician in Guatemala and the acting

President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...

from 27 July 1957 to 24 October 1957.

Biography

Born in the town of

Zacapa Zacapa () is the departmental capital municipality of Zacapa Department Zacapa () is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. It lies in eastern Guatemala with its capital in the city of Zacapa, approximately 112 kilometers (70 miles) from G ...

, González López studied law, and served as a judge in several cities. He was a member of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

for seven years from 1945 to 1951, before being removed: reports stated that he was removed due to pressure from the communist parties. He was appointed Vice-President to

Carlos Castillo Armas Carlos Castillo Armas (; 4 November 191426 July 1957) was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who was the 28th president of Guatemala, serving from 1954 to 1957 after taking power in a coup d'état. A member of the right-wing Nation ...

in 1957. On 26 July 1957, Castillo Armas was shot dead in the Guatemalan capital by a member of the presidential guard. González López held the position of "First Presidential Designate", and was sworn in as interim president on 27 July. Supporters of Castillo Armas were considering forming a military junta and seizing power, but were dissuaded by Edwin J. Sparks. the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala. The U.S. government preferred to preserve a facade of democracy, rather than have Guatemala revert to a blatant dictatorship. Elections were held in October 1957, complicated by pressure from the U.S. government, the government of Dominica, and the army. The centrist Miguel Ortiz Passarelli won a plurality in these elections, but supporters of

Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes General José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes (17 October 1895 – 27 October 1982) was the conservative President of Guatemala from 1958 to March 1963. He was also the main challenger to Jacobo Árbenz during the 1950 presidential election. He ...

, who had also been a candidate in the election, rioted. The Guatemalan government declared martial law for a period of 30 days. On 24 October, a group of 80 military officers marched into the Presidential palace and replaced González López with a three-person junta led by army Colonel Óscar Mendoza Azurdia. New elections were held in January 1958. Ydígoras Fuentes comfortably won this election and seized power for himself soon after.

References

Notes Sources * * * 1900 births 1965 deaths People from Zacapa Department Guatemalan people of Spanish descent Presidents of Guatemala Vice presidents of Guatemala 20th-century Guatemalan judges Presidents of the Congress of Guatemala {{Guatemala-politician-stub