In the years 1845-1846, Joaquin Eufrasio Guzman was President of El Salvador. Joaquin Eufrasio Guzman was raised in a strict Catholic home and grew dedicated to protecting the honor and integrity of his culture and people. Joaquin felt pulled to the army’s prestige and tradition after his father relocated the family to El Salvador and enlisted as soon as he was able. As Spain surrendered control of its former colonies, border issues erupted into wars between countries. Guzman received a promotion to a high position in the army after one of his comrades was elected president. A brief battle with Nicaragua resulted from a shift in military allegiance. Guzman’s forces were ready and stepped in to install Guzman as the new head of state while the president retreated to fend off the invasion. Guzman later repelled an attack by soldiers loyal to the former president, but he then decided to resign. Guzman spent a decade in public service after retiring as president. A decade later, when a rising star of the Salvadoran military captured the government, Guzman was named vice president by the new leader. However, after the new president’s illness, Guzman served as acting president for a short time before retiring gracefully from public life.
Childhood and Adolescence
Guzman’s childhood is shrouded in mystery. Guzman was born in 1801 in the Costa Rican highland town of Cartago, according to diocese archives.
Guzman’s father moved the family to El Salvador when Joaquin was 11 years old because he couldn’t find a job.
Joaquin entered the military when he was of legal age and quickly rose through the ranks.
The Career of Guzman
Guzman largely went unnoticed throughout his service until a devastating war against Nicaragua.
El Salvador’s fight with Honduras against Nicaragua had broken down, and a force from Honduras invaded El Salvador.
Guzman backed the correct horse as El Salvador broke into two parties, the Federals and the Centralists, and was promoted after the Federalist commander Francisco Malespin gained the presidency in 1844.
Joaquin Guzman stepped forward and declared himself President of El Salvador after Malespin led an army north to fight against a Honduran invasion in 1845.
Malespin’s army was promptly crushed by Guzman’s troops in San Miguel, the capital.
Guzman’s president was acknowledged almost immediately by Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, but not by Honduras.
Malespin gathered a force in Honduras a few months later, but Guzman’s army successfully resisted the attack. Guzman now has an unchallenged claim to the presidency after Malespin was murdered in the conflict.
Guzman negotiated the Treaty of Sensitin, which concluded the war with Honduras, while in government.
Guzman was later promoted to Lieutenant General and named “Benefactor of the Homeland,” one of El Salvador’s highest accolades, for his work on the accord.
Guzman resigned as president a few months after signing the treaty and returned to his military station.
Guzman then began a modest political career as a member of the parliament, the state council, and the prefecture of his hometown.
In 1858, El Salvador’s young president, an army commander named Miguel Santin del Castillo, selected the old Joaquin Guzman as his vice president and adviser. A strange ailment debilitated President Santin del Castillo a short time later, leaving Guzman as acting president of the country for a short time. Guzman retired after a brief return to the top job to spend more time with his family.
Guzman’s Major Projects
Joaquin Guzman rose through the ranks of the professional military to lead his country through multiple times of crises and conflicts.
Achievements & Awards
On two occasions, he was elected President of El Salvador.
For his work on the Treaty of Sensitin, Guzman was dubbed “Benefactor of the Homeland” in 1846.
Guzman has received four “Hero of the Nation” awards.
Personal History and Legacy
Paula Saldos was Joaquin Guzman’s wife. Guzman had four daughters and a son, David Joaquin, and Adelaida, Enriqueta, and Marcelina.
Guzman died in 1875 after a long and accomplished career, but he is best remembered as the father of David Joaquin Guzman, one of El Salvador’s greatest scientists.
El Salvador also honors Joaquin Guzman for his strong collaboration with his son-in-law, General Gerardo Barrios.
Estimated Net Worth
Although no exact figure for General Joaquin Guzman’s net worth has ever been discoveredJoaqun is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most popular.
Joaquin Eufrasio Guzmán’s net worth is estimated to be $2.6 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
In San Miguel, El Salvador, he has a 130-year-old park named after him.
Joaquin Eufrasio Guzman Park received a high-tech LED lighting system from the city of San Miguel in 2012.
Guzman justified his coup d’etat against Malespin by exploiting a legal loophole.
Adelaida Guzman married Gerardo Barrios, the man who served as President of El Salvador before Guzman and Malespin. During a battle with Malespin’s soldiers, Gerardo Barrios was killed.
David Guzman, Guzman’s son, was one of the country’s first doctors to vaccine patients against smallpox.
Guzman’s son David founded an anthropology museum in Nicaragua as a memorial to his father.