José María Castro Madriz

José María Castro Madriz
1st and 5th President of Costa Rica
In office
31 August 1848  16 November 1849
Vice PresidentJosé María Alfaro Zamora
Juan Rafael Mora
Manuel José Carazo Bonilla
Preceded byJosé María Alfaro Zamora
Succeeded byMiguel Mora Porras
In office
8 May 1866  1 November 1868
Preceded byJesús Jiménez
(first term)
Succeeded byJesús Jiménez
(second term)
Personal details
Born1 September 1818
San José, New Spain
Died4 April 1892 (age 73)
San José, Costa Rica
Political partyLiberal

José María Castro Madriz (1 September 1818 – 4 April 1892) was a Costa Rican lawyer, academic, diplomat, and politician. He served twice as President of Costa Rica, from 1848 to 1849, and from 1866 to 1868. On both occasions he was prevented from completing his term of office by military coups. During his first administration, on 31 August 1848, he formally declared Costa Rica an independent republic, definitively severing Costa Rica's ties to the moribund Federal Republic of Central America.