León Cortés Castro (December 8, 1882 – March 3, 1946) was a

Costa Rican Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the n ...

politician. He served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of Costa Rica from 1936 to 1940. During his term he introduced new bank reforms, supported banana plantations in the South Pacific region, and established ports at

Quepos Quepos () is a district of the canton of Quepos, in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Toponymy The town is named for the native Quepo Indians who inhabited the place in the colonial era. History The area was home to the native Quepoa peop ...

and

Golfito Golfito is a district and port town of the Golfito canton, in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica, located on the southern Pacific Coast, near the border of Panama. Toponymy Literally translated as 'little gulf'. Geography Golfito has ...

. His administration is often referred to as the "iron bars and cement administration" because of the various construction projects undertaken during his presidency, including the construction of the former International Airport of La Sabana. He was the last of a series of relatively conservative Presidents. He considered changes to allow him to pursue re-election as President, but ultimately backed down due to a Constitutional ban on consecutive terms. He was succeeded by

Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia (March 8, 1900 – June 9, 1970) was a Costa Rican medical doctor and politician, who served as President from 1940 to 1944. Early life Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia was born on 8 March 1900 in San José. In hi ...

, who ultimately broke with tradition and substantially increased the scope of the social state.Se
Ian Holzhauer, "The Presidency of Calderón Guardia" (University of Florida History Thesis, 2004)
/ref> Previously he served as secretary of education from 1929 to 1930, and as secretary of agriculture from 1932 to 1935. In

San José province San José () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the central part of the country, and borders (clockwise beginning in the north) the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, Limón, Cartago and Puntarenas. The provincial and national capital ...

there is a canton that bears his name and, in

San José San José or San Jose (Spanish for Saint Joseph) most often refers to: *San Jose, California, United States *San José, Costa Rica, the nation's capital San José or San Jose may also refer to: Places Argentina * San José, Buenos Aires ** San ...

, a monument to him stands in front of the Costa Rica Art Museum.

References

1882 births 1946 deaths People from Alajuela Presidents of Costa Rica Vice presidents of Costa Rica Costa Rican people of Colombian descent 20th-century Costa Rican lawyers {{CostaRica-politician-stub