Background
Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia was born on 10 March 1900 in San José.
Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia was born on 10 March 1900 in San José.
Educated Colegio Seminario de Costa Rica, University of Louvain.
Assistant, surgeon, head of clinic, chief surgeon, Hospital San Juan de Dios. Deputy, Congreso Nacional, 1934-1942 (vice-president, 1935-37, president, 1938-1939). Vice-president, later president, municipality of San José, 1935-1937.
3d alternate for presidency of the Republic, 1936-40.
In 1940, with the support of conservative coffee elites, Calderón was elected President of Costa Rica. Prior to Calderón, Costa Rican Presidents, while democratically elected, had largely supported the interests of the conservative coffee oligarchy. Calderón soon turned his back on the conservative coffee elite to address widespread poverty and poor health conditions among the working poor. He became the first Central American president to primarily focus his attention on poverty and deteriorating social conditions. Calderon Guardia responded to the demand for reform when he assume the presidency in 1940, and, in doing so, he offered the electorate a viable alternative to the Communist solutions to social questions. During his presidency he established the Work Code, which introduced the minimum wage, and other important protections for laborers. Prior to this reform, working conditions for Costa Rica's poor had been abhorrent. Calderón also founded the CCSS, a national social security retirement program, extremely advanced for its time. He also instituted a national healthcare program. In education, he established the University of Costa Rica. Calderón also brought Costa Rica into World War II on the Allied side and cooperated with the United States. During the war his government imprisoned many Costa Ricans of German descent and confiscated many of their assets including large coffee plantations and banking businesses. This made him very unpopular with the powerful German minority in the country. Many German families and their descendants would later become backers of Calderón's rival, José Figueres Ferrer. Calderón developed strong ties with labor organizations, certain important figures of the Catholic Church, such as the progressive Archbishop Víctor Sanabria, and the Communist Party, led by Manuel Mora. This unlikely alliance was strong enough to transform the country's labor laws, its health and education systems, and its economic structure. He enjoyed wide support among the poor, but a growing coalition of land owners, industrialists, military leaders, and conservative Church officials strongly opposed him, polarizing society. Calderon Guardia headed a traditional party which included elements from all segments of society. He attracted a following among the masses of society such as no previous political figure had ever achieved. From 1940 forward, the various contestants in the political arena could not disregard Calderon Guardia's functioning program with its sharp focus on social issues. He was determined, even it is entailed intimidation, to carry out his plans. His program and the methods he used to put it into effect therefore became inextricable parts of the social issue. His work of reform challenged the domination of the elite, which consequently became politically more active, aware and cohesive.
Republicano Nacional (during term)
National Unification Party (beginning in 1966)
Member board of director, Duran Sanatorium, and of faculty' of medicine, University de Costa Rica. Member Liga Anti-Cancerosa, Club Unión.
he married Yvonne Clays Spoelders.