Otilio Ulate Blanco

Who was Otilio Ulate Blanco?

Luis Rafael de la Trinidad Otilio Ulate Blanco served as President of Costa Rica from 1949 to 1953. His French heritage comes from his mother, Ermida Blanco. He never married but had two daughters, Olga Marta Ulate Rojas and Maria Ermida Ulate Rojas with Haydee Rojas Smith

His disputed election in 1948, whereby he was denied victory by the legislature in favor of Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, was the direct cause of José Figueres Ferrer's armed uprising of that year and the ensuing 40-day civil war.

Blanco started his career in politics as a journalist, director of local newspaper La Tribuna and owner of Diario de Costa Rica, principal newspaper at the time, where he directed his major political campaigns.

Ulate led the opposition party during the February 8th 1948 elections, where he defeated ex President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia.

His government proved a good handling of economical development, Ulate raised the Consejo Nacional de Produccion-National Production Committee-, the Central Bank of de Costa Rica, the Contraloria General de la Republica, the "Ley del Aguinaldo", the right for women to vote in National Elections and the foundations for the actual International Juan Santamaria Airport, despite the fact that many of his achievements were self-recognized by following presidents. During a visit to the penitentiary in San Lucas Island he also ordered the release of Beltrán Cortés from the unusually public and confined cell President León Cortés Castro had ordered for him and placed him with the other prisoners.