Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós (August 25, 1921 – October 13, 1991) was a

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

n politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He served as the President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978. He is credited with the creation of the Sistema Nacional de Radio y Televisión and the Universidad Estatal a Distancia. Oduber worked as a lawyer early in his career. In 1945, Oduber went to Canada to study philosophy at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

, graduating with a Master of Arts degree. In 1948, he returned to Costa Rica and participated in the revolution led by

José Figueres Ferrer José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer (25 September 1906 – 8 June 1990) served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948–1949, 1953–1958 and 1970–1974. During his first term in office he abolished the country's army, nation ...

. When their faction won, he was named Secretary General of the Second Republic of Costa Rica. Some time later he traveled to Paris, where he continued his philosophical studies at the Sorbonne. In 1948, while studying in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, he married Marjorie Elliott Sypher, the daughter of Canadian diplomats. The couple had two children, Luis Adrian and Ana María. After returning to Costa Rica, he worked in national politics, working with the Figueres presidency campaign and becoming an Ambassador in Mexico and later in Europe. He also served as foreign minister from 1962 to 1964. He was President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 1970 to 1973.Legislative Assembly Official website
/ref> He was elected president in 1974. His government was very socially focused, dealing heavily with working class issues. He worked on raising the quality of life of rural areas and bettered pricing for agricultural products. A lot of attention was given to

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands ( forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A de ...

and the preservation of natural resources. On the international front, his government was popular amongst the Central American nations. During his term in office, Oduber granted legal status to the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

party (1975) and restored consular relations with

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

(1977). He sided and worked with Presidents

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

and

Omar Torrijos Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, ...

to defend Panama's sovereignty. The airport located near

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast� ...

Daniel Oduber International Airport Guanacaste Airport, known before as Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quirós) , and also known as Liberia International Airport, is one of four international airports in Costa Rica. It is ...

, was named in his honor. There is a full statue of him in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Daniel Oduber died on 13 October 1991 in Escazú.

References

1921 births 1991 deaths Presidents of Costa Rica Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica Ambassadors of Costa Rica to Mexico National Liberation Party (Costa Rica) politicians McGill University alumni University of Paris alumni People from San José, Costa Rica People from Escazú (canton) Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Costa Rican expatriates in France Costa Rican expatriates in Canada {{CostaRica-politician-stub