Herrera, Vicente

Herrera was the son of Jose Cleto Herrera Salazar (1798-1880) and Antonia Celedon Masis (born 1854). He received his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1839 from the University of Santo Thomas in San Jose, Costa Rica , and in May 1846 he moved to Guatemala, where in 1849 he received a doctorate in law from the University of San Carlos.

On December 18, 1853, Herrera married Guadalupe Gutierrez Garcia, daughter of Atanasio Gutierrez, chairman of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica from 1832 to 1833. Three children were born in the marriage - Angelica, Vicente and Mercedes.

Herrera was characterized by conservative views, was a supporter of a strong Catholic Church and its dominant role in education. He was President of the San Jose Charity Council, Notary of the Church Curia, and Secretary of the Cabildo Diocese of Costa Rica.

Herrera for some time headed the Department of Spanish and Latin Grammar at the University of Santo Tomas, from where he resigned in March 1845 . Later, he was a professor of canon law at the same university and taught public law, and was also a member of the University’s Research Department, and in 1870 served as rector for several months.

Herrera held various government positions, including the Secretary of President Juan Rafael Mora during the 1856 Flibuster War , the Deputy Governor of the Province of San Jose and the Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Guatemala and Nicaragua .

In 1852, Herrera was elected prosecutor of the Supreme Court and re-elected in 1855 . On October 17, 1856, he was elected Rector (President) of the Court, re-elected on September 22, 1858, and a third time on April 29, 1860 .

In the early years of the reign of General Thomas Guardia Herrera, he held a number of important posts: member of the State Council (October 13, 1870 - February 24, 1872), Minister of the Interior (February 15 - November 21, 1873, and December 1, 1873 - May 8, 1876), and the Minister of Foreign Affairs ( September 6-November 21, 1873, March 3-December 14, 1874 and May 20, 1875 - May 8-8, 1876) and the second deputy president (May 22, 1874 - May 5, 1875). On May 10, 1876 , shortly after the start of the presidential term of Aniceto Esquivel , he was re-elected as second deputy, but resigned the next day.

Presidency

On July 30, 1876, a military coup proclaimed Herrera the "Provisional President of the Republic" with unlimited powers, but in practice, General Guardia, army commander and first deputy president, remained the real ruler. The press was censored, other repressive measures were introduced, especially after the attempted rebellion in mid- 1877 .

During the reign of Herrera, a subsidy was given to Cartago College and other measures were taken in favor of education, some austerity measures were applied in public administration, and the city of Guardia was founded in the province of Guanacaste, which the president visited in May 1877 .

Fall and Exile

On September 11, 1877 , under the pretext of restoring his health, Herrera had to temporarily appoint General Guardia to the post of president; on September 23, Guardia was elected the new president of the Republic.

Herrera was later exiled to El Salvador, where in 1879 he participated in organizing the reception of political emigrants from Costa Rica who opposed the Guardian regime. Upon his return to Costa Rica, he remained aloof from politics until his death. At his funeral, President Bernardo Soto ordered the deceased president to be given military honors corresponding to the rank of division general.

• Jorge Francisco Sáenz Carbonell, Los meses de don Aniceto: ascenso y caída de don Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz, EUNED, 2002, 232 S., S. 52