Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez (24 October 1845 – 9 January 1921) was the 17th president of El Salvador from 10 June 1894 to 13 November 1898. He was a leader of the Revolution of the 44 which overthrew President General Carlos Ezeta from April to June 1894. Gutiérrez served as provisional president until being officially inaugurated in March 1895 after his victory in the 1895 presidential election, in which he was the only candidate.
During his four-year presidency, Gutiérrez settled land disputes, attempted to combat an economic crisis, and was a key figure in the foundation of the short-lived Greater Republic of Central America. He was overthrown on 13 November 1898 by General Tomás Regalado. Gutiérrez's overthrow subsequently lead to a revolt in Izalco the following day and the dissolution of the Greater Republic of Central America on 29 November 1898.
Early and personal life
Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez was born in Ilobasco, Cabañas, El Salvador, on 24 October 1845. His father was a Spaniard and his mother was Marcela Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez was an idealist liberal.
In May 1885, Gutiérrez supported Divisional General Francisco Menéndez in a revolution which overthrew President Rafael Zaldívar and installed Menéndez as president of El Salvador. During the coup, Gutiérrez led indigenous Salvadoran soldiers in Nahuizalco.
Presidency
Rise to power
On 29 April 1894, Gutiérrez, along with several other military officers, began a rebellion against President Carlos Ezeta, a pragmatic reformist, who had allowed a financial crisis to arise. With assistance from Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, Ezeta was overthrown on 9 June 1894 in what is known as the Revolution of the 44.
After a rivalry and struggle with General Manuel Rivas for the presidency, in which Rivas conceded to Gutiérrez, he became provisional president of the nation on 10 June 1894. He revived the University Council that was abolished during Ezeta's presidency. El Salvador faced an economic crisis in 1897. In response, Gutiérrez took "extreme fiscal policies" to combat the crisis. Those policies included the construction of a railroad from San Miguel to La Unión and another from San Salvador to Nejapa. Prior to the crisis, he had also constructed a rail line from Ateos to La Joya in 1895 and from La Joya to Santa Ana in 1896. His policies, however, were unpopular, and his government was blamed for the poor handling of the crisis.
He faced protests from university students because of the economic crisis, and as a result, he had the university expel any students who spoke out against him or university officials.