Coronado Chávez
President of Honduras
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Coronado Chávez (8 November 1807–22 June 1881) was President of Honduras from 8 January 1845 to 1 January 1847.[1] He was appointed by Francisco Ferrera as Vice President of Honduras from 1841 to 1843, and for the week prior to his taking office he had been a member of the council of ministers that was running Honduras along with Casto Alvarado. He was succeeded by Juan Lindo.
Coronado Chávez | |
|---|---|
| |
| President of Honduras | |
| In office 8 January 1845 – 1 January 1847 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 November 1807 |
| Died | 22 June 1881 (aged 73) Asunción, Paraguay |
| Party | Authentic Radical Liberal Party |
| Spouse | Emilia Victoria Alfaro |
| Children | 4 |
Early life
Coronado Chávez was born to María Mercedes Chavez in 1807. He was a carpenter by trade. He would return to this job after an exile in El Salvador with Ferrera.[2][3] He died in 1881 at the age of 73.
Career
Chávez and Santos Guardiola, Francisco Ferrera, and Felipe Jáuregui formed a "clique" and operated in each other's interests.[4] He worked in politics as Minister of Finance[5] and both Minister of Exterior and Minister of War in 1843.[2] In 1846, after Malespín's War, he took the title of Padre Conscripto, after the Roman title Pater Patriae. For this, he was ridiculed by some.[6]
Presidency
His presidency began in 8 January 1845 after Francisco Ferrera's second term ended, being elected by the legislature. In that vote, he ran against José Santos Guardiola.[7] Honduras' Constitution did not allow for a third term. However, Chávez is said to have acted as the puppet of Ferrera, who remained the effective leader.[6] He defended himself, saying "not a single instance could be cited in which he [sic] allowed himself to be dictated to by any military leader or had acted subject to any such leader's will or caprice."[8]
As president, he encouraged the growing of coffee and hat manufacturing. He exempted military veterans from paying their first fruits and tithes.[3] He created the Literary Society of Honduras in 1846, which became the state university in 1850 under Juan Lindo.[3] It was also renamed the Literary Academy of Tegucigalpa.[4]