José Figueres Ferrer

José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer (25 September 1906 – 8 June 1990) was a Costa Rican farmer, revolutionary leader, and statesman who served as the 32nd and 36th President of Costa Rica from 1953 to 1958 and from 1970 to 1974. He was also the head of the Founding Junta of the Second Republic from 1948 to 1949 and the founder of the National Liberation Party. As the victorious leader of the Costa Rican Civil War and principal architect of the Second Republic, one of Figueres's most notable achievements was the abolition of the Costa Rican army, making Costa Rica one of the first countries to permanently eliminate its standing armed forces, though the motivations for the decision have been widely debated. His junta government also nationalized the banking system, secured suffrage for women and Afro–Costa Ricans, and extended Costa Rican nationality rights to people of African descent. During his two constitutional presidencies, Figueres oversaw the creation of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, the National University of Costa Rica, and the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) as an autonomous institution, among other reforms. His administrations also promoted industrialization, social mobility, and the strengthening of the Costa Rican middle class. His son José María Figueres served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.

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