Jorge Salazar
Encyclopedia
Jorge Salazar Argüello a Nicaraguan
coffee grower and popular leader of UPANIC (Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua - ), seemed poised to become the leader of the opposition to the Sandinista government, until his death at the hands of State Security forces.
, retired in 1941, and Jorge grew up on his family's coffee farm at Santa María de Ostuma
in the city of Matagalpa. He received his high school education at the Colegio Centroamérica in Granada
and Culver Military Academy in the United States, then went to university in Brazil. He married Lucía Amada Cardenal Caldera, with whom he had four children, Karla Isabel, Jorge Leopoldo, Claudia, and Lucía.
During the fall of Somoza, Salazar had organized coffee farmers in Matagalpa
and northern Zelaya
into a cooperative, which stymied Sandinista efforts to absorb them into FSLN-sponsored organizations. As the most charismatic leader in the opposition, a wider audience began to rally around him. He became a key figure within the opposition Superior Council of Private Enterprise ( - COSEP).
By mid-1980, however, he had become convinced that only armed revolt could remove the Sandinistas. He believed that he was in contact with dissident army officers who would help him overthrow the leadership. On November 17, 1980, while Salazar was engaged in plotting the counterrevolution, Sandinista security forces arrived on the scene. Salazar was unarmed, but according to government reports, a shootout ensued between his associates and the security agents. Salazar was caught in the fatal crossfire.
(FDN) on December 8, 1982. Later that month, the FDN formed Task Force Jorge Salazar, which would grow into the rebels' largest and most famous unit.
On October 18, 1984, COSEP adopted a motion to mark Jorge Salazar's birthday as Private Sector Day. Anti-Sandinista businessmen continued to honor the day, even after 1990 elections turned out the Sandinistas. On July 16, 2004, President Enrique Bolaños
signed a degree officially establishing September 8 as the annual National Day of the Nicaraguan Entrepreneur ().
In post-Sandinista Nicaragua, his wife has served as Nicaragua's consul general in Miami, while his son Jorge has headed the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, and his daughter Lucía has been Minister of Tourism.
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
coffee grower and popular leader of UPANIC (Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua - ), seemed poised to become the leader of the opposition to the Sandinista government, until his death at the hands of State Security forces.
History
Jorge Salazar was born on September 8, 1939, to Leopoldo Salazar Amador and Esmeralda "Meyaya" Argüello; he also had two sisters. His father Leo, a captain in the National GuardNational Guard (Nicaragua)
In Nicaragua, the National Guard was a militia and a gendarmerie created during the occupation of that country by the United States from 1909 to 1933. It became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption under the regime of the Somoza family.-Creation:...
, retired in 1941, and Jorge grew up on his family's coffee farm at Santa María de Ostuma
Santa María de Ostuma
Santa María de Ostuma was a Mountain Hotel built by Leo Salazar in 1936. It was located in the province of Matagalpa, Nicaragua and attended personally by its owners. The resort's fame spread, and many local and international tourists visited it for vacationing and ecotourism...
in the city of Matagalpa. He received his high school education at the Colegio Centroamérica in Granada
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
and Culver Military Academy in the United States, then went to university in Brazil. He married Lucía Amada Cardenal Caldera, with whom he had four children, Karla Isabel, Jorge Leopoldo, Claudia, and Lucía.
During the fall of Somoza, Salazar had organized coffee farmers in Matagalpa
Matagalpa
Matagalpa is a city in Nicaragua, the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 109,100 , while the population of the department is more than 480,000. Matagalpa is Nicaragua's fifth largest city and one of its most commercially active outside of Managua...
and northern Zelaya
Zelaya (Nicaragua)
Zelaya is a former department in Nicaragua. The capital was Bluefields. In 1986 it was divided into two autonomous regions:* Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte * Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur...
into a cooperative, which stymied Sandinista efforts to absorb them into FSLN-sponsored organizations. As the most charismatic leader in the opposition, a wider audience began to rally around him. He became a key figure within the opposition Superior Council of Private Enterprise ( - COSEP).
By mid-1980, however, he had become convinced that only armed revolt could remove the Sandinistas. He believed that he was in contact with dissident army officers who would help him overthrow the leadership. On November 17, 1980, while Salazar was engaged in plotting the counterrevolution, Sandinista security forces arrived on the scene. Salazar was unarmed, but according to government reports, a shootout ensued between his associates and the security agents. Salazar was caught in the fatal crossfire.
Aftermath
Salazar had already sent his family out of the country. After his death, his widow, Lucía Cardenal de Salazar, became a member of the political directorate of the Nicaraguan Democratic ForceNicaraguan Democratic Force
The Nicaraguan Democratic Force was one of the earliest Contra groups, formed on August 11, 1981 in Guatemala City. It was formed to oppose Nicaragua's revolutionary Sandinista government following the 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle...
(FDN) on December 8, 1982. Later that month, the FDN formed Task Force Jorge Salazar, which would grow into the rebels' largest and most famous unit.
On October 18, 1984, COSEP adopted a motion to mark Jorge Salazar's birthday as Private Sector Day. Anti-Sandinista businessmen continued to honor the day, even after 1990 elections turned out the Sandinistas. On July 16, 2004, President Enrique Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
signed a degree officially establishing September 8 as the annual National Day of the Nicaraguan Entrepreneur ().
In post-Sandinista Nicaragua, his wife has served as Nicaragua's consul general in Miami, while his son Jorge has headed the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, and his daughter Lucía has been Minister of Tourism.