José Vicente Cuadra

Vicente Cuadra (Jose Vicente de la Quadra Lugo, 25 July 1812, Granada, Nicaragua – 10 December 1894) served as President of the Republic of Nicaragua in Central America (1871–1875) during that country's late-19th-century reconstruction. As a member of the Conservative Party, he governed in the early years of the era to be known as the Thirty Five Years of Conservatism in Nicaragua's political history.

Cuadra's family had roots in Nicaragua since the days of the conquistadors. The Cuadra family's wealth and power came from interests in banking, agriculture, and mining. During most of his lifetime, Vicente Cuadra was one of the richest landowners in the country.

Vicente Cuadra was elected by a landslide but was reluctant to serve due to poor health. However, he decided to serve in the best interests of the country after the Congress gave him an overwhelming vote of confidence and a mandate. His presidency was a reflection of his character – ethical, frugal, and visionary. The Cuadra administration instituted a system of checks and balances in the executive branch, re-established the credit worthiness of the country, replenished the treasury, and positioned the war ravaged nation for much needed infrastructure improvements and projects which occurred during his successor's (Pedro Joaquin Chamorro) term. Educational, judicial, and scientific reforms were also implemented. Critics thought Cuadra as stingy and rigid. The biggest failure of his administration was the inability to deal with the Moskito tribal nation in the eastern region of Nicaragua.

Vicente Cuadra really didn't enjoy being in the front lines of politics. His brother, Jose Joaquin, was better suited for that. Vicente, himself, preferred working behind the scenes like he did when he helped draft the Constitution of 1858. When his term of office was over, Cuadra retired to spending time with his family, overseeing his businesses, and writing. He didn't get much involved in the politics of the country and would rarely offer the opinion of a statesman unless it was warranted. The irony is that in 1891, Gen. Jose Santos Zelaya of the Liberal Party, taking advantage of splits within the Conservative party, began an economic and political campaign to ruin all of the Conservatives in the country, targeting the icons such as Vicente Cuadra. The former president's businesses were wiped out, most of his lands were confiscated, and his writings were burned. The final insult was that the 79-year-old Cuadra was imprisoned for a few weeks.

Cuadra is one of the least known of Nicaragua's presidents due to:

Since 1854, approximately forty individuals have served as the President of Nicaragua. Among a select few, Vicente Cuadra is considered a model president in Nicaragua's presidential history. He has the reputation of being an honest president and a respected statesman.

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