Francisco Castellón Sanabria (18158 September 1855) was president of "Democratic"

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

from 1854 to 1855 during the Granada-León civil war. Castellón was a lawyer from León. He was prime minister (''ministro general'') under

Patricio Rivas Patricio Rivas (1810 – July 12, 1867) was a wealthy liberal Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, member of the Democratic Party (Nicaragua), Democratic Party, who served as Acting President of Nicaragua, Supreme Director of Nicaragua from June 30, ...

, but was removed in 1841 by Pablo Buitrago, and reappointed in 1843 by Manuel Pérez. In 1844 he served as Nicaragua's minister to England and later as Nicaragua's minister to France. He was again a government minister under José Laureano Pineda 1851–1853. In 1853, the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

candidate Francisco Castellón from León and the Conservative Party candidate Fruto Chamorro of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

both ran for the position of Supreme Director of Nicaragua. Chamorro won, but there were claims of election fraud. Chamorro immediately transferred the government headquarters from

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

to Granada, the Conservative stronghold. He then convened a Constitutional Assembly on 20 January 1854, to promulgate a new Constitution during the absence of the majority of the Liberal Party representatives. The rigged election and Chamorro's subsequent actions including the promulgation of the Constitution of 1854, considered to be badly flawed by the Liberals, provoked prominent Liberals - including Francisco Castellón, Máximo Jerez, and José María Valle - to establish a separate government which they did in León. Castellón was proclaimed president on 11 June 1854. Although his forces were initially militarily successful against Chamorro, a long unsuccessful siege of Granada was followed by the loss of Managua,

Masaya Masaya () is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada, Nicaragua, Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano ...

and Rivas. This led Castellón to hire William Walker and his mercenaries, who arrived in June 1855. Castellón died of cholera 8 September 1855 and was succeeded as "Democratic" president by Nazario Escoto.

References

Bibliography

* Jamison, James Carson (1909) ''With Walker in Nicaragua: Or, Reminiscences of an Officer of the American Phalanx'' E.W. Stephens Publishing Company, Columbia, MO
OCLC 1711985
* Bancroft, Hubert Howe (1887
"Chapter XII: Republic of Nicaragua 1838-1855"
''History of Central America, 1501-1887'' volume 8, History Company, San Francisco, pp. 238–263

External links

1815 births 1855 deaths Presidents of Nicaragua People from León, Nicaragua Government ministers of Nicaragua Ambassadors of Nicaragua to France Ambassadors of Nicaragua to the United Kingdom Deaths from cholera 19th-century Nicaraguan lawyers Liberal Party (Nicaragua) politicians {{Nicaragua-politician-stub