Díaz, Adolfo (1874–1964)

Adolfo Díaz (b. 1874; d. 27 January 1964), president of Nicaragua (1911–1916, 1926–1928). Previously a secretary for La Luz and Los Angeles Mining Company, a U.S. firm based in Bluefields, the Costa Rican-born Díaz entered Nicaraguan politics during the Conservative overthrow of Liberal dictator José Santos Zelaya in 1909. He served as a source of funds for the rebel leader Juan Estrada. After Zelaya's ouster, Estrada became president and Díaz, his vice president. On 8 May 1911, Estrada resigned in the face of a revolt led by Minister of War Luis Mena. Díaz succeeded to the presidency and quickly cultivated U.S. goodwill. One month into his presidency he signed a treaty with the U.S. that permitted the Nicaraguan government to negotiate a loan with U.S. private banks.

Díaz desired financial and political security, but his forging of closer ties between Nicaragua and the United States caused him to lose support at home. Mena declared that Díaz had sold out, and sought supporters in the National Assembly. In July 1912 Mena led a revolt against Díaz. Although Conservative Party leader Emiliano Chamorro defeated Mena, Díaz failed to control this tumultuous situation and finally turned to the United States for assistance. President William Howard Taft dispatched the marines on 4 August 1912.

Díaz was reelected president in 1926 after Chamorro's unsuccessful coup d'état. A reinstated national assembly acknowledged him as president, and the United States promptly recognized his government. The former Liberal vice president, Juan Bautista Sacasa, however, claimed the presidency for himself, and with the support of José María Moncada, rose against the Conservative administration. With the help of the United States, Díaz was able to end the resulting civil war, and gain control of the government until 1928. During this period he cooperated with the United States in the development and training of the National Guard.

See alsoZelaya, José Santos .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

William Kamman, A Search for Stability: United States Diplomacy Toward Nicaragua, 1925–1933 (1968).

Lester D. Langley, The Banana Wars: United States Intervention in the Caribbean, 1898–1934 (1985).

James Dunkerley, Power in the Isthmus: A Political History of Modern Central America (1988).

Additional Bibliography

Bolaños, Pío. Génesis de la intervención norteamericana en Nicaragua. Managua: Editorial Nueva Nicaragua, 1984.

                                    Shannon Bellamy