Rafael Iglesias Castro: Difference between revisions

Rafael Yglesias Castro President of Costa Rica Term of office: 8 May 1894 to 8 May 1902 (two consecutive terms) – Preceded by: José Joaquín Rodríguez – Succeeded by: Ascensión Esquivel Date of birth: 18 April 1861 Place of birth: Date of death: 10 April 1924 Place of death: San José Party:

Rafael Anselmo José Yglesias Castro served as President of Costa Rica for two consecutive periods from 1894 to 1902.

He was a grandson of "Founder of the Republic" José María Castro.

Yglesias traveled to the United States and to Europe to complete his studies. Upon his return, it is said that he had a civil marriage to Rosa Banuet Ross, in the capital of Cartago. They had two girls, Berta and Rosa (*official records of this marriage were destroyed in the earthquake of Cartago in 1910). In the 1880’s, he served as Minister of War. Yglesias and Rosa were divorced, and he married Manuela Petronila de la Trinidad Rodríguez Alvarado, also a descendant of presidents. She was a private woman, and did not share his enthusiasm for the political arena. They had a happy domestic partnership, and produced several children.

Yglesias was elected president in 1894 by a majority of 23,000, and his election was marked with by largest voter turnout to date. Upon his election, he made official visits to Paris and London. He had an audience with Queen Victoria, for whom he had great respect. Duly impressed by the technological advancements he saw in Europe, he decided to return to Costa Rica and usher his country into the 21st century.

Yglesias’s progress was due mostly to his indefatigable energy and determination, and to the world’s enthusiasm as it stood on the brink of a new century. Yglesias’s presidency can be characterized as the bridge between the old world and the new. His accomplishments were evident in every area; finance, health, education, politics, industry and the arts.

He completed the construction of a national theater (Teatro Nacional), and was present at its inauguration. He established the colon as the unit of currency, and put Costa Rica on the gold standard. He completed the Atlantic to Pacific railway, and built up the coastal town of Puerto Limon. In addition, he set up a department of sanitation in the city.

He oversaw the building of an electric tram, and brought municipal electricity to the city of Heredia. He established a house of correction for minors. He also instituted educational reforms, establishing a precedent for text books to be authored by Costa Rican citizens. A firm believer in public education, he founded a school for the arts (Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes) in 1897.

Yglesias was ahead of his time in terms of the environment, and was the first president to send a scientific expedition to Isla del Coco. Hearing of its rich natural resources, Yglesias closed the penal colony that was there, and decreed the island a nature preserve.

Ever conscious of health issues, Yglesias established a system of emergency health care in the provinces. In 1895, Congress approved a measure to create a board of medicine, surgery and pharmacy, comprised of all the doctors, surgeons and pharmacists that had been nationally certified. In 1902, he established the pharmaceutical college (Instituto de Farmacia).

Rafael Yglesias appears on Costa Rican paper money in the denomination of 5 colones.

Sources:

Rafael Yglesias Castro - Carlos Calvo Gamboa, Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes, Direccion de Publicaciones, San Jose, Costa Rica, 1980

Personal Testimony - Berta Flores Yglesias, Iris Flores Schirmer, Fernando Flores Banuet

www.guiascostarica.com/presi20.htm www.intnet.co.cr/tn/historia.html www.costaricaweb.com/general/presidentphoto.htm www.incofer.com/historia-ferrocaril.html www.heredianet.co.cr/alumbrad.htm www.ucr.ac.cr/~farmacia/histor.htm