Emilio Álvarez Montalván
Encyclopedia
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n ophthalmologist and a former Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Biography
In 1919, Emilio Álvarez Montalván was born on 31 July in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. In 1946 (age 27), Álvarez received a Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery from the "School of Medicine, University of Chile
Universidad de Chile (university)
The University of Chile is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Chile and one of the oldest in the Americas. Founded in 1842 as the replacement and continuation of the former colonial Royal University of San Felipe , the university is often called Casa de Bello in honor of...
", cum laude. He studied ophthalmology at the "Instituto de Oftalmología", Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina (1949). His post-graduate studies included work at the "National Center for Ophthalmology" in Paris, France, the "Institute of Ophthalmology" in London, Great Britain, and the "New York Eye and Ear Infirmary" in New York, NY, U.S.A.
In addition to his career in medicine and surgery, Álvarez was an active participant in Nicaraguan politics, and a writer of international repute. In 1954–55 (age 35 to 36), he suffered political incarceration for a year during the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García was officially the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 to 29 September 1956, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination.-Biography:Somoza was born in San Marcos, Carazo Department in Nicaragua, the son of...
. In 1996 (age 77), he was appointed Foreign Minister of Nicaragua.
After his retirement from public office and medical practice, Álvarez continued to influence national policy through published articles and lectures on politics, with special emphasis on national political culture. In 2006 and 2007 (age 87 and 88), he was awarded honorary doctorates for his research and contributions to the latter. Emilio Alvarez is married to Carmen Guerra and has six children and thirteen grandchildren.
Career
- Doctor of Ophthalmology
- Founder of the "Clínica Oftalmológica del Hospital Bautista", for the poor (1949)
- Chief of services of Ophthalmology at the "Hospital el Retiro", Managua, Nicaragua (1950)
- Founder and Director of the "Centro de Oftalmología, Clinica y Eye Hospital".
- Editor of the magazine "Medica", Managua, Nicaragua (1958)
- Founder and first President of "Ética y Transparencia"
- President of the "Juventud Conservadora"
- National Vice-president of the Conservative Party of NicaraguaConservative Party of NicaraguaThe Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
(1967) - Director of "Escuela de Formación Política" of Nicaragua (1968)
- Member of the editorial board of "La PrensaLa Prensa (Managua)La Prensa is a Nicaraguan newspaper, with offices in the capital Managua. Its current daily circulation is placed at 42,000.-Early years:La Prensa was founded by Pedro Belli, Gavry Rivas and Enrique Belli on March 2, 1926...
", Managua, Nicaragua (1968–1983) - Columnist for "La Prensa", Managua, Nicaragua beginning (1976)
- Consultant to the Conservative Party of Nicaragua (1981)
- Pre-candidate for President of the Republic for the Conservative Party (1990)
- Personal representative of President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro to negotiate with the "Army of the Resistance" (1991)
- Founder and first President of "Grupo Fundemos" (1990)
- Columnist for "La Tribuna" - 1994
- Distinguished Member of the Academy of Nicaragua for the Spanish Language (1996)
- President of the Academy of History and Geography (1997)
- Perpetual Honorary President of the Conservative Party of Nicaragua
- Consultant to the "Grupo Fundemos"
- President of the "Fundación Cultural Nicaragua China".
- Eventual Collaborator of La Prensa, Managua
- Foreign Minister of Nicaragua (1997–1998)
Honoraria
- Gold Medal of the "Sociedad Nicaragüense de Oftalmología"
- Bernardo O'HigginsBernardo O'HigginsBernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...
Order of Merit, Chile (1984) - Academic Award, France (1985)
- Cruz del Sur, Brazil (1997)
- Brilliant Star of the Republic of China, Taiwan (1997)
- Grand Cross of the "Order of Jose Dolores Estrada", Government of Nicaragua (1998)
- San Martinianas Award of the "Instituto San Martin", Buenos Aires Argentina (1998)
- Gran Cordon Orden del "Tesoro Sagrado", by His Majesty, Emperor Akito of Japan (2003)
- Honorary Doctor of Science, Thomas Moore University (2006)
- Honorary Doctor of Science, Ave Maria College of the Americas (2007)
- Honorary member, Instituto de estudios para la Gobernabilidad y Democracia (2008)