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León Esteban Febres-Cordero Ribadeneyra (9 March 1931 – 15 December 2008), known in the Ecuadorian media as LFC or more simply Febres-Cordero, was an Ecuadorian politician who was the 35th President of
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, serving a four-year term from 10 August 1984 to 10 August 1988. During his presidency he sought to introduce market-oriented reforms, and also led a security crackdown on a
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
group named ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!.


Early life

Febres-Cordero was born in a wealthy Guayaquil family on 9 March 1931. His father sent him to study in the United States, where he first attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, then Mercersburg Academy in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
for high school, and then graduated as a mechanical engineer from the
Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...
in Hoboken, NJ (which he visited after being elected in 1984). Upon his return to Guayaquil, Febres-Cordero worked in the private sector, mainly in industry, including paper, electrical parts, chemicals and textiles. Eventually he became an executive partner in the Noboa Group, a large agribusiness Ecuadorian conglomerate.


Career


Presidency (1984–1988)

The Febres Cordero government promoted a conservative economic policy. While some praised Febres-Cordero's economic policies, they became largely unpopular amongst most Ecuadorians. Several of his secretaries were accused of corruption. His Secretary of Finance (and future Vice President), Alberto Dahik, was impeached by Congress. Febres-Cordero, a close ally of US President Ronald Reagan, was sharply criticized for an increase in human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial executions. Decades later, Rafael Correa established the so-called Truth Commission to investigate human rights violations, particularly those that occurred during Febres Cordero's administration. In January 1987 Febres-Cordero was kidnapped for 11 hours by a group of Air Force members who were demanding freedom for General
Frank Vargas Pazzos Frank Vargas Pazzos (born July 15, 1934) is a former commander of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE). He also served as Chief of the Joint Armed Forces Command of Ecuador. Early life He was born in Chone, Ecuador, Chone, into a landowning family fro ...
, who had been imprisoned after leading two uprisings in March 1986, aimed to topple the Secretary of Defense. Congress approved a resolution granting Vargas Pazzos amnesty, but Febres-Cordero refused to sign the resolution, thus denying it the rule of law. It was only after his 1987 kidnapping that he signed the amnesty and released Vargas Pazzos.


Post-presidency

Febres-Cordero later became the mayor of Guayaquil for two consecutive terms (1992–1996, and 1996–2000.) His time as mayor is widely considered successful as he lifted the city from years of mismanagement, corruption, and paternalist practices by the populist Bucaram family (particularly the administrations of Abdalá Bucaram and his sister Elsa Bucaram). Febres-Cordero's policies brought order to the government's administration and finances and brought about a massive infrastructure increase, thus cementing a base for his protégé, Jaime Nebot (also from the Social Christian Party). Nebot turned out to be the main political rival of President Correa (2007–2017), establishing a reputation as an important force in the Ecuadorian politics. In 2002 Febres-Cordero ran successfully for a seat in Congress, representing his native province, Guayas, for the 2003–2007 term. Despite being a regular absentee due to health issues, he was reelected in 2006, but those same issues forced him to retire shortly before the beginning of the new legislative period early 2007. This symbolically marked the end of his political clout over the country. That same year, and in what was his last public appearance, he criticized the conformation of a Truth Commission by the new left-wing government of Rafael Correa, who in his 2006 presidential campaign promised to "halt the impunity" of the Febres-Cordero regime. The latter said that the body was a persecution tool of the new government, denounced an alleged leftist bias (as a former AVC member was among the commissioners) and accused it of being "inquisitorial."


Personal life

Febres-Cordero was first married to former First Lady of Ecuador María Eugenia Cordovez, to whom he had four daughters – María Eugenia, María Fernanda, María Liliana and María Auxiliadora. They divorced in 1988 after thirty-four years of marriage. Later he married Cruz Maria Massu, but they had no children.


Death

Febres-Cordero died aged 77 in Guayaquil, on 15 December 2008, from lung cancer and emphysema. He was granted a
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...
. His remains are buried at the Cementerio Parque de la Paz.


References


External links


Conmemorial video

Official Website of the Ecuadorian Government about the country President's History

Edufuturo

Amnesty International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Febres Cordero, Leon 1931 births 2008 deaths Presidents of Ecuador Mayors of Guayaquil Social Christian Party (Ecuador) politicians Members of the National Congress (Ecuador) Stevens Institute of Technology alumni Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni Deaths from lung cancer in Ecuador Deaths from emphysema Politicians from Guayaquil 20th-century Ecuadorian politicians