Juan Primitivo Próspero Fernández Oreamuno (July 18, 1834 – March 12, 1885) was

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of Costa Rica from 1882 to 1885.El Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones: Presidentes de la República de Costa Rica
/ref> Fernández studied philosophy at the

University of San Carlos of Guatemala The Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC, ''University of San Carlos of Guatemala'') is the largest and oldest university of Guatemala; it is also the fourth founded in the Americas. Established in the Kingdom of Guatemala during the Spani ...

before embarking on a military career. He fought in the war of 1856–1857 against William Walker and participated in the military coup that overthrew Jesús Jiménez in 1870. He was married to a sister of Tomás Guardia and under Guardia's government he was appointed commander of the

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barracks and given the rank of

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. He was elected to succeed Guardia in 1882. As president he implemented measures that sought to undermine the power of the

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. He withdrew the

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with the

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, expelled both the

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and the

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of Costa Rica from the country, and in 1884 passed laws that placed cemeteries under state control, introduced civil marriage, and legalized divorce. The most powerful figure within his government was his brother-in-law, former president José María Castro Madriz, who served as minister of foreign and religious affairs, education, justice, and public aid. During his administration the state defaulted on its financial obligations to Minor C. Keith, who was building a railway to the Caribbean port of

Limón Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ho ...

. To compensate him, cabinet minister Bernardo Soto signed a deal that gave Keith 800,000 acres (3,200 km²) of tax-free land along the railroad, plus a 99-year lease on the operation of the train route. Keith would later use those lands and his command of the railroad to build a powerful banana trading concern (see

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). President Fernández died in office shortly after declaring war on Guatemala which, under Gen.

Justo Rufino Barrios Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reuni ...

, had embarked on the reunification of the dissolved

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. National Highway CR-27 connecting the capital city of San José with the Pacific coast's port of Caldera is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez Oreamuno, Prospero 1834 births 1885 deaths People from San José, Costa Rica Costa Rican people of Spanish descent Presidents of Costa Rica Vice presidents of Costa Rica Generals 19th-century Costa Rican people Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala alumni Costa Rican liberals