Alfonso Quiñónez Molina

Alfonso Quiñónez Molina (11 January 1874 – 22 May 1950) was a Salvadoran politician and physician who served as President of El Salvador on three occasions during the 1910s and 1920s. Between his presidencies, he also served as Vice President of El Salvador on two occasions under his brothers-in-law Carlos and Jorge Meléndez. The presidencies of Quiñónez and his brothers-in-law from 1913 to 1927 are collectively known as the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty.Template:Sfn

Early life

Alfonso Quiñónez Molina was born on 11 January 1874 in Suchitoto, El Salvador.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn His parents were Lucio Quiñónez and Aurelia Molina de Quiñónez. Quiñónez studied medicine at the Liceo San Luis in Santa Tecla. He then studied at the University of El Salvador and earned his Doctorate of Medicine in surgery in 1898. Quiñónez practiced medicine at the General Hospital of San Salvador beginning in 1897,Template:Sfn and the following year, he was became a member of the board of the country's insane asylum. He also served as the chair of the hygiene and therapeutics and a counselor of the medical faculty at the University of El Salvador. In 1904, Quiñónez became the director of the insane asylum, and in 1906, he was an acting physician for the country's Red Cross society.Template:Sfn

Quiñónez married Leonor Meléndez in 1905.Template:Sfn Two of Quiñónez's brothers-in-law through his marriage to Leonor Meléndez were Carlos and Jorge Meléndez.Template:Sfn

Early political career

Quiñónez was a pragmatic liberal.Template:Sfn In 1903, Quiñónez was elected as an alderman of the San Salvador city council.Template:Sfn In 1912, he was elected as the mayor of San SalvadorTemplate:Sfn and as an alternate deputy of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador.Template:Sfn

Presidencies and vice presidencies

First presidency and vice presidency

On 9 February 1913, Quiñónez's brother-in-law Carlos Meléndez became the provisional president of El Salvador upon the assassination of President Manuel Enrique Araujo. Carlos Meléndez succeeded Araujo as he was the country's first presidential designate and Vice President Onofre Durán Santillana had earlier resigned.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn On 4 March 1914, the Legislative Assembly named Quiñónez as the first presidential designate,Template:Sfn and on 21 December 1914, Quiñónez became the country's provisional president upon Carlos Meléndez's resignation in order to run for president in 1915.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

Quiñónez's cabinet consisted of Francisco Martínez Suárez as minister of exterior relations, public instruction, and justice; Cecilio Bustamante as minister of government, promotion, and agriculture; Samuel Luna as minister of finance, public credit, and benefits; and Pío Romero Bosque as minister of war and the navy.Template:Sfn During Quiñónez's first provisional presidency, he established the Military Hospital.Template:Sfn

Carlos Meléndez won the 1915 presidential electionTemplate:Sfn and appointed Quiñónez to serve as vice president.Template:Sfn

Second presidency and vice presidency

On 21 December 1918, Carlos Meléndez resigned as president due to illness, and Quiñónez assumed the presidency in a provisional capacity.Template:Sfn Quiñónez's second cabinet consisted of Bustamante as minister of government, promotion, and agriculture and Enrique Córdova as minister of war and the navy.Template:Sfn

In 1918, Quiñónez established the Lega Rojas, or the Red league, which intended to work as a mediator between the oligarchy and the peasants. It was deemed as the first attempt to form an official party in the country. However, the far-reaching oligarchic control of the prevented the organization from achieving its goal. Later it supported the candidacy of President Jorge Meléndez.Template:Citation need

Third presidency

A black-and-white photograph of several men standing and facing the camera

Quiñónez with members of his third cabinet in 1926

Quiñónez won the 1923 presidential election unanimously with 176,000 votes.Template:Sfn He was inaugurated on 1 March 1923 and his cabinet consisted of Francisco Lima as minister of government, promotion, and agriculture; Reyes Arrieta Rossi as minister of exterior relations, public instruction, and justice; Calixto Velado as minister of finance, public credit, and benefits; and Romero as minister of war and the navy. Romero also served as Quiñónez's vice president.Template:Sfn

As president, Quiñónez invested in the construction of railways and highways.Template:Sfn

Quiñónez handed the presidency to Vice President Pío Romero Bosque. He thought that as Romero did not spring from a rich family, he would be a puppet.

Later life and death

Quiñónez, along with other members of the dynasty organized a coup against Romero. However, the coup, which took place in December 1927, ultimately failed. After this, Romero exiled Quiñónez from El Salvador.Template:Sfn Quiñónez returned to El Salvador in 1936.Template:Sfn

Quiñónez died on 22 May 1950 in San Salvador.Template:Sfn

Electoral history

Year	Office	Type	Party		Main opponent	Party		Votes for Quiñónez				Result	Swing		Ref.
								Total	%	P.	±%
1923	President of El Salvador	General	style="background-color:Template:Party color;" |	PDN	Unopposed			176,000	100.00	1st	N/A	Won	style="background-color:Template:Party color;" |	Hold	Template:Sfn