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Francisco Orlich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 34thPresident of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 1962 – 8 May 1966 | |
| Vice President | Raúl Blanco Cervantes Carlos Sáenz Herrera |
| Preceded by | Mario Echandi Jiménez |
| Succeeded by | José Joaquín Trejos Fernández |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich (1907-03-10)10 March 1907 |
| Died | 29 October 1969(1969-10-29) (aged 62) |
| Party | National Liberation Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature |  |
Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich[1] (10 March 1907 – 29 October 1969)[2] was a Costa Rican businessman and politician who was the 34thPresident of Costa Rica from 1962 to 1966.[3]
He was an ethnicCroat, a descendant of Croatian settlers from the town ofPunat on the island ofKrk,Croatia.[4]
Together with his brothers he founded in 1928 FJ Orlich & Hnos Ltda. (FJ Orlich & Brothers Limited). At first a large supply store in his hometown of San Ramón, this eventually grew to become one of Costa Rica's largest coffee firms. His half-brother, Franjo J. Orlich, the namesake of the firm, moved from Costa Rica to Pennsylvania and worked for Bethlehem Steel as a Pattern Maker in the Castings Plant. A long-time friend ofJosé Figueres Ferrer, with whom he had traveled together to study in the United States, Orlich was Figueres' second in command within the National Liberation Army in theCosta Rican Civil War.[citation needed]
Following that, theNational Liberation Party was founded in the Orlich family farm in La Paz, San Ramón. He twice served as Public Works Minister (1948–1949, 1953–1957) in Figueres' cabinets. Afterwards he ran for president in 1958, but lost toMario Echandi Jiménez. He ran again in 1962, against the defeated 1948 leader DrRafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, and won the presidency.[citation needed]
He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting aworld constitution.[5][6][7]
As a result, for the first time in human history, aWorld Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt theConstitution for the Federation of Earth.[8]
During his presidency he faced the major eruption of theIrazú volcano, that started just as U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedy was visiting Costa Rica and lasted for over a year, causing major agricultural damage and landslides in the city ofCartago.[citation needed]
He died of a stroke on 29 October 1969 in San José, at the age of 62.[2] His widow,Marita Camacho Quirós, lived to be114 years old. This made her the oldest living person ever in Costa Rica,[9][a] and the oldest formerFirst Lady in the world. She outlived her husband by over 55 years.[11]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of Costa Rica 1962–1966 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
