Juan José Arévalo
José Arévalo | |
|---|---|
Formal portrait, c. 1944 | |
| 24th President of Guatemala | |
| In office 15 March 1945 – 15 March 1951 | |
| Vice President | Mario Monteforte (1948–1949) |
| Preceded by | Juan Federico Ponce Vaides |
| Succeeded by | Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1904 Taxisco, Santa Rosa, Guatemala |
| Died | 8 October 1990 (aged 86) Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Political party | Revolutionary Action Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Margarita de León (m. 1959) |
| Children | 5 (including Bernardo) |
| Alma mater | Escuela Normal para Varones (BEd) National University of La Plata (PhD) |
Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (10 September 1904 – 8 October 1990) was a Guatemalan statesman and professor of philosophy who became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945. He was elected following a popular uprising against the United States-backed dictator Jorge Ubico that began the Guatemalan Revolution. He remained in office until 1951, surviving 25 coup attempts. He did not contest the election of 1951, instead choosing to hand over power to Jacobo Árbenz. As president, he enacted several social reform policies, including an increase in the minimum wage and a series of literacy programs. He also oversaw the drafting of a new constitution in 1945. His son, Bernardo, became President of Guatemala in 2024.
Because of his reforms and policies that transcended his time, Juan José Arévalo is considered the most popular and influential president in the history of Guatemala.