Daniel Oduber Quirós

Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós (August 25, 1921 – October 13, 1991) was a Costa Rican politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He served as the President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978.<ref name="CV">Template:Cite web</ref> He is credited with the creation of the Sistema Nacional de Radio y Televisión and the Universidad Estatal a Distancia.<ref name="nacion" />

In 1926, he was enrolled in the kindergarten of the Dolorosa church in the city of San José. Between 1928 and 1933, he studied primary education at the Buenaventura Corrales School.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Oduber worked as a lawyer early in his career. In 1945, Oduber went to Canada to study philosophy at McGill University, graduating with a Master of Arts degree. In 1948, he returned to Costa Rica and participated in the revolution led by José Figueres Ferrer. When their faction won, he was named Secretary General of the Second Republic of Costa Rica.

Some time later he traveled to Paris, where he continued his philosophical studies at the Sorbonne. In 1948, while studying in France, he married Marjorie Elliott Sypher, the daughter of Canadian diplomats.<ref name="nacion">Template:Cite news</ref> The couple had two children, Luis Adrian and Ana María.<ref name="nacion" />

File:Oduber Franco Pasillos.jpg

Daniel Oduber during the inauguration of the new facilities of the Franco-Costa Rican High School

After returning to Costa Rica, he worked in national politics, working with the Figueres presidency campaign and becoming an Ambassador in Mexico and later in Europe. He also served as foreign minister from 1962 to 1964.<ref name="CV"/> He was President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 1970 to 1973.<ref>Legislative Assembly Official website</ref>

He initially ran for president in 1966, narrowly losing to Joaquín Trejos.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> He was later elected in 1974.<ref name="CV"/> His government was very socially focused, dealing heavily with working class issues. He worked on raising the quality of life of rural areas and bettered pricing for agricultural products. A lot of attention was given to reforestation and the preservation of natural resources. On the international front, his government was popular amongst the Central American nations. During his term in office, Oduber granted legal status to the communist party (1975) and restored consular relations with Cuba (1977). He sided and worked with Presidents Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos to defend Panama's sovereignty.

The airport located near Liberia, Daniel Oduber International Airport, was named in his honor. There is a full statue of him in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

Daniel Oduber died on 13 October 1991 in Escazú.

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