General Rafael Salvador López Gutiérrez (11 May 1854 – 16 March 1924) was

President of Honduras The president of Honduras ( es, Presidente de Honduras) officially known as the President of the Republic of Honduras (Spanish: ''Presidente de la República de Honduras''), is the head of state and head of government of Honduras, and the Comm ...

from 1 February 1920 to 10 March 1924. A former general in the Honduran Army, Gutierrez attempted to extend his term in office past its designated end, and was forced from office. He died in

Amapala Amapala is a municipality in the Honduran department of Valle. It is formed by El Tigre Island and its satellite islets and rocks in the Gulf of Fonseca. It has an area of and a population of 2,482 as of the census of 2001 (of which 4 people ...

on 16 March 1924, suffering from diabetes, after a failed attempt to escape to the United States for insulin treatment.

Life

Lopez-Gutiérrez was born to Soledad Gutiérrez Lozano and Juan López Gutiérrez on 11 May 1854 in the Honduran capital of

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 ...

. His family was very influential for example his father was the provisional President of Honduras in 1855. His early studies were in Tegucigalpa, but for the study of law, he was sent to London, where his mother's brother, Carlos Gutiérrez Lozano, was the Honduran ambassador to England. However, Lopez-Gutiérrez did not complete his studies there and returned to a political career in Honduras. In 1870 he married Anita Lagos Laínez, from an influential family in Choluteca, with significant mining interests. Among the posts that he held were Director of the National Mint, Mayor of Tegucigalpa, customs administrator of

Puerto Cortés Puerto Cortés, originally known as Puerto de Caballos, is a port city and municipality on the north Caribbean coast of Honduras, right on the Laguna de Alvarado, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, with a natural bay. The present city ...

, Minister of War (twice) and Vice-President of Honduras. In 1886 Lopez-Gutiérrez joined the Honduran military, and by 1908 had risen to its highest rank, that of a division General. In 1919 Lopez-Gutiérrez was serving as the civilian governor of the Tegucigalpa department, as well as head of the armed forces of that department. That year he was nominated by the

Liberal Party of Honduras The Liberal Party of Honduras (Spanish: ''Partido Liberal de Honduras)'' is a centrist liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. It is the oldest extant political party in the country, and one of the two main parties that h ...

as their candidate for president. In the election of April 1919 the out-going president's choice, and brother-in-law, Nazario Soriano of the

National Party of Honduras The National Party of Honduras (PNH; es, Partido Nacional de Honduras) is a conservative political party in Honduras founded on 27 February 1902, by Manuel Bonilla Chirinos. Historically it has been one of the two most influential parties in t ...

, was declared the winner in what many regarded as a fixed election. Lopez-Gutiérrez and others took up arms contesting that election which resulted in the First Honduran Civil War. Following which Lopez-Gutiérrez won the presidency in another rigged election.

Notes and references

1854 births 1924 deaths Presidents of Honduras Liberal Party of Honduras politicians Deaths from diabetes {{Honduras-politician-stub