Daniel Oduber Quirós
Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós was a Costa Rican politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He served as the President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978. He is credited with the creation of the Sistema Nacional de Radio y Televisión and the Universidad Estatal a Distancia.
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. The couple had two children, Luis Adrian and Ana María.
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. He was President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 1970 to 1973.
He was elected president in 1974. 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 and restored consular relations with Cuba.
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.
