Daniel Oduber Quirós

Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós (25 August 1921 – 13 October 1991) was a Costa Rican intellectual and statesman who served as the 37th President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978. A member of the National Liberation Party, he previously served as President of the Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1973.

During his administration, the government established the Costa Rican Museum of Art, the Distance State University (UNED) and the La Sabana Metropolitan Park, and enacted the Social Development and Family Allowances Act, which expanded social assistance programs for low-income families by helping reduce expenses related to food, healthcare, childcare, and eldercare. His presidency also promoted student loan programs and supported the expansion of national parks, recreational areas, and cultural institutions.

Biography 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.

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 Founding Junta of the Second Republic.

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.

He initially ran for president in 1966, narrowly losing to Joaquín Trejos. He was later elected 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 (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.