Felipe Neri Medina

Who is Felipe Neri Medina?

Felipe Neri Medina Valderas y Fernández de Córdova was President of Honduras 13–15 April 1839. His parents were Petrona Idiáquez Cordova and Ignacio Medina Valderas.

He came from a family of wealthy mine owners and Hacienderos. His father served repeatedly as Intendente of Danlí. He started school at the Colegio Seminario de Guatemala in 1810 and then studied at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. He married Dolores Serafin Gomez, in Comayagua, and was a member of the Partido Liberal de Honduras.

After serving as a member of the Constituent Assembly and the Parliament, he was appointed Supreme DirectorI.

On 26 October 1838 Honduras declared itself a separate state under José María Martinez Salinas. Francisco Ferrera sought to separate Honduras from the federal government under José Francisco Morazán Quezada. On 5 April 1839 Morazán defeated the combined forces of Medina and those of Nicaragua at the battle of Espiritu Santo in El Salvador. On 25 September 1839, Francisco Ferrera surprised the troops of Honduras at San Pedro, the troops of Honduras in San Pedro Perulapán and Medina, wounded in the engagement, fled to Nicaragua.

On 15 April 1839, Medina came back from exile and the Parliament appointed Juan José Alvarado as his successor.