Espinosa y Espinosa, (Juan) Javier (1815–1870)
Espinosa y Espinosa, (Juan) Javier (1815–1870)
(Juan) Javier Espinosa y Espinosa (b. 20 January 1815; d. 4 September 1870), president of Ecuador (1868–1869). During Gabriel García Moreno's domination of Ecuador (1861–1865, 1869–1975), Espinosa briefly served as figurehead president. The son of Quito notables, his prior government experience had been limited to a few relatively minor posts. Espinosa selected for his cabinet a group of moderate Liberals and Conservatives, a move that outraged García Moreno; he had fully expected to control Espinosa. In August 1868 a violent earthquake devastated the northern sierra, leveling the cities of Ibarra and Otavalo. Espinosa appointed García Moreno to oversee aid and reconstruction. These chores (and, critics allege, the theft of charity funds) kept the former president preoccupied for a time. However, in 1869, as Ecuador prepared to hold elections for a new presidential term, García Moreno staged a coup, removed Espinosa, and returned to office. Espinosa died in Quito.
See alsoCarbo y Noboa, Pedro José .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hurtado, Osvaldo. Political Power in Ecuador. Trans. Nick D. Mills, Jr. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1980.
MacDonald Spindler, Frank. Nineteenth Century Ecuador: A Historical Introduction. Fairfax: George Mason University Press, 1987.
Schodt, David W. Ecuador: An Andean Enigma. Boulder: Westview Press, 1987.
Ronn F. Pineo