Mauro Fernández Acuña (19 December 1843, in San José – 16 July 1905) was a

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

Biography

He studied law at the University of Santo Tomás, from which he graduated in 1869. He reached several positions in the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica and was university professor of the College of Lawyers. He was a delegate in the Costa Rican Constituent Assembly in 1880 and again in 1885, 1892 and 1902. He was President of the Congress, Minister of Property and Commerce, advisor of State and Director of the National Bank of Costa Rica. In 1885, he was named by President

Bernardo Soto Alfaro Ramón Bernardo Soto Alfaro (12 February 1854 – 1931) was President of Costa Rica from 1885 to 1889 during the Liberal State. Biography Early life On 12 February 1854, Soto was born to Apolinar de Jesús Soto Quesada and Joaquina Alfaro Muñ ...

as the head of the Secretariat of Public Instruction, where he initiated a reform in Costa Rican education, which triggered the closing of the University of Santo Tomás (at which he studied) and put more funding into

Secondary Education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

. He helped found the Colegio Superior de Senoritas, Costa Rica's first secondary school for women. Fernández was responsible for hiring his wife Ada's sister, Marian Le Cappellain, to found the Colegio Superior de Señoritas in 1888. He died in San José on 16 July 1905. He was declared a '' Benemérito de la Patria'', a title given to honorable Costa Rican persons in history, by Executive Decree 109 on 18 June 1955.

Currency

Mauro was placed on the front of the 2,000 colones bank note of Costa Rica. This brilliant blue note is equal to about $3.00 and depicts a coral reef scene on the back.

References

External links

GalleryBiography of Mauro Fernández Acuna
1843 births 1905 deaths People from San José, Costa Rica Costa Rican people of Spanish descent Finance ministers of Costa Rica Government ministers of Costa Rica Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica 19th-century Costa Rican judges {{CostaRica-law-bio-stub Costa Rican liberals