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The Somoza family was an influential political dynasty who ruled Nicaragua as a hereditary dictatorship. Their influence exceeded their combined 43 years in the de facto presidency, as they were the power behind the other presidents of the time through their control of the National Guard. They ultimately fell to a revolution led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Three of the Somozas served as President of Nicaragua. They were:

• Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956; ruled 1937–1947, 1950–1956), the father.
• Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967, ruled 1956–1963), his legitimate eldest son.
• Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1925–1980, ruled 1967–1972, 1974–1979), his second legitimate son.

Other members of the Somoza family include:

• Hope Portocarrero, wife of Anastasio Somoza Debayle
• Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero, son of Anastasio Somoza Debayle
• Bernabé Somoza, a 19th-century rebel

This history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Hope Portocarrero
Doña Hope with her husband Gen. Anastasio Somoza.
Born	1929 Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Died	October 1991 (aged 61–62) Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Alma mater	Barnard College
Occupation	First lady of Nicaragua
Spouse	Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Children	Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto
Parents	Dr. Nestor Portocarrero Gross (father) Blanca Debayle Sacasa de Portocarrero (mother)

Hope Portocarrero Somoza Baldocchi (1929 – 5 October 1991) was the first lady of Nicaragua, the wife of Anastasio Somoza Debayle and mother of Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero.

She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1968.

Family and education[link]

Hope Portocarrero Debayle was born in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. She was the daughter of Dr. Nestor Portocarrero Gross and Blanca Debayle Sacasa de Portocarrero. She had a brother, also named Nestor in Tampa.

She was of Spanish, French and German descent. Her grandfather was Dr. Luis Henri Debayle Pallais, good friend of Rubén Darío, married to Casimira Sacasa Sacasa. Her great-grandfather was Roberto Sacasa Sarria, a former 44th and 46th President of Nicaragua. The Debayles and Portocarreros were among Nicaragua's wealthiest families.

She spoke fluent English, Italian, Spanish, and French and had an appreciation for Art and Culture.

In the North after 1943 Hope often spent time with her cousin Lillian Sevilla-Sacasa (née Somoza) at the Washington embassy. She was a modern young girl and liked to dance. When she returned home in the early hours of the morning during her visits to Washington, Lillian would reprimand her. She wouldn't catch herself a man if she behaved that way. Hope startled her cousin with the announcement that she was going to marry Tachito ( Lillian's brother).

Hope attended Barnard College in New York.

Marriage[link]

Hope had grown into an attractive brunnette, extremely well groomed and Anastasio Somoza García "Tacho", her future father-in-law agreed she would make a good wife for "Tachito", "she's got class", Somoza García liked to say and indeed, refinement was Hope's forte. No woman dressed as smartly as Hope in Nicaragua. There was some concern that the offspring of close blood relatives might suffer mental or physical defects. But for Tacho, the good blood of the Debayles overruled this consideration.

Hope Portocarrero and her cousin Anastasio Somoza Debayle married on 10 December 1950 at the Cathedral in Managua by Archbishop Jose Antonio Lezcano. Over 4,000 guests attended the ceremony. The reception was given by President Anastasio Somoza García in the luxurious and modern Palacio de Comunicaciones. It was the social event of the decade. The buffet tables were laden with food and champagne and dancing went on until dawn on all three floors of the palace. They went to South America for their honeymoon.

Hope and Anastasio had five children: Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto.

First Lady of Nicaragua[link]

In 1967 Hope Portocarrero became the First Lady of Nicaragua and an icon of fashion and elegance and refinement in high society. She attended diplomatic missions with her husband, such as the visit to the former U.S. President, Richard Nixon, and the Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

Hope was president of the Junta Nacional de Asistencia y Previsión Social (National Social Security).

She created the National Cultural Center, The General Archives of the National Library, National Conservatory of Music, National School of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes), National Museum and Plurar Gallery.

Her biggest legacies were the constructions of Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío (The National Theater of Nicaragua), the Children's Hospital, a clinic for Nicaraguan women and a Center for Orphans "The Hope".

In December 1969 there was a gala of the Ruben Dario Theater, named after the native son who became one of the world's foremost Spanish language poets. Construction of the large, columned edifice was on the shores of Lake Managua, a short distance from the National Palace. For Hope the opening night was to be a high point of her reign as the first lady of Nicaragua.

Hope gradually separated from Somoza. She made rare trips home from London, where she had set up housekeeping, for board meetings of the Social Security Institute and other groups she headed. There were also occasional meetings in Managua for her favorite charity, the building of a Children's Hospital for which she appeared as sponsor on 1.50-códoba stamps. There were rumors that Hope had received a sizable cash settlement from Tachito and freedom to do as she pleased. She acquired considerable real estate in Miami and investments with an eye to the future. The smartly dressed Hope was well known in Neiman Marcus and the best Miami shoe stores. An attendant in one recalled, "She always wanted no-color shoes. I don't know how many times I said, Sorry, Mrs Somoza we have no no-color shoes". Balmain (fashion house) made many of the outfits Hope Somoza wore in public when she was First Lady.

Final years[link]

Hope loved Anastasio, but spent much of her time trying to smooth his rough edges and make him into a gentleman. "She wanted to make Anastasio into something he wasn't", said a friend. "She wanted him to mix in Newport society, eat caviar and drink champagne and watch his language and manners". After Hope's constant correction of his barrack mannerisms, Anastasio began a relationship with a teenage lover; Dinorah Sampson.

By the summer of 1977 no one knew why the two were still together. Hope remained estranged from him in London where daughter Carolina joined her. She married Archie Baldocchi, a wealthy american of Italian descent, Baldocchi had a son by a previously marriage: Archie Baldocchi Dueñas, from El Salvador. Hope Somoza Baldocchi died of cancer in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, on 5 October 1991.

References[link]

• SOMOZA'S SON MARRIES; 4,000 See Wedding in Managua to Hope Portocarrero of Miami The New York Times
• Primeras damas: poder y apariencia El Nuevo Diario
• Bracing for the Aftershocks Time magazine

External links[link]

• The Somoza Dynasty
• Somoza Debayle
• Anastasio and Hope

Further reading[link]

• Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegria and Darwin J. Flakoll
• La saga de los Somoza by Agustin Torres Lazo
• Somoza Falling by Anthony Lake

Anastasio Somoza Debayle
President of Nicaragua
In office 1 December 1974 – 17 July 1979
Preceded by	Liberal-Conservative Junta
Succeeded by	Francisco Urcuyo
In office 1 May 1967 – 1 May 1972
Vice President	Francisco Urcuyo and Alfonso Callejas Deshón
Preceded by	Lorenzo Guerrero
Succeeded by	Liberal-Conservative Junta
Personal details
Born	(1925-12-05)December 5, 1925 León, Nicaragua
Died	September 17, 1980(1980-09-17) (aged 54) Asunción, Paraguay
Political party	Nationalist Liberal Party (PLN)
Spouse(s)	Hope Portocarrero

Anastasio ("Tachito") Somoza Debayle (Spanish pronunciation: [anasˈtasjo soˈmosa ðeˈβaile]) (5 December 1925  – 17 September 1980) was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979. He was the last member of the Somoza family to be President, ending a dynasty that had been in power since 1936. After being overthrown in an insurrection led by the FSLN, he fled Nicaragua in exile and power was ceded to the Junta of National Reconstruction. He was eventually assassinated while in exile in Paraguay.

Name[link]

As is customary in Spanish-speaking countries, he was given both his father's and mother's last names, Somoza being his father's surname and Debayle being his mother's surname. Debayle is of French origin.

Early years[link]

Anastasio Somoza Debayle, nicknamed "Tachito" (Spanish: Little Tacho) by his father, was the third child of Anastasio Somoza García and Salvadora Debayle. At the age of seven, he was enrolled at the Instituto Pedagógico La Salle, run by the Christian Brothers. One of his classmates was Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal,^[1] who would grow up to become one of the most prominent opponents of the Somoza dynasty. From the age of ten, Tachito was educated in the United States. He and older brother Luis Somoza Debayle, both attended St. Leo College Prep (Florida) and La Salle Military Academy (Long Island). He passed the examination for West Point, entered the United States Military Academy on July 3, 1943, and graduated on June 6, 1946.^[2] Two years after his return from West Point, he fathered an illegitimate daughter, Patricia, who was later sent to a series of schools abroad.^[3] Also after his return, he was appointed chief of staff of the National Guard, (Nicaragua's national army), by his father, who had previously given many important posts to family members and close personal friends. As commander of the Guard, Somoza was head of the nation's armed forces, effectively the second most powerful man in Nicaragua. On 10 December 1950, he married Hope Portocarrero, an American citizen and his first cousin, at the Cathedral in Managua by Archbishop Jose Antonio Lezcano. Over 4,000 guests attended the ceremony. The reception was given by President Anastasio Somoza García in the luxurious and modern Palacio de Comunicaciones. They had five children:

• Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero
• Julio Somoza Portocarrero
• Carolina Somoza Portocarrero
• Carla Somoza Portocarrero
• Roberto Somoza Portocarrero

Following his father's assassination on 21 September 1956, Somoza's elder brother, Luis, took over the presidency. Anastasio had a large hand in the government during this time and saw to it that the presidency was held by politicians loyal to his family from 1963 to 1967.

Presidency[link]

On 1 May 1967, shortly before the death of his brother, Anastasio Somoza was himself elected president for the first time. While Luis had ruled more gently than his father had, Anastasio was intolerant of opposition of any sort, and his regime soon resembled his father's in all significant respects.

His term in office was due to end in May 1972, due to a law which disallowed immediate re-election. However, prior to that, Somoza worked out an agreement allowing him to stand for re-election in 1974; he would be replaced as president by a three-man junta consisting of two Liberals and one Conservative while retaining control of the National Guard. Somoza and his triumvirate drew up a new constitution that was ratified by the triumvirate and the cabinet on April 3, 1971. He then stepped down as president on May 1, 1972. However, as head of the National Guard, he remained the de facto ruler of the country.

On 23 December 1972, an earthquake struck the nation's capital Managua, killing about 5,000 people, and virtually destroying the city. Martial law was declared, making Somoza the country's ruler in name as well as in fact once again. He then took over effective control as head of the National Emergency Committee. He reportedly embezzled many of the funds sent from across the world to help rebuild Managua. Indeed, some parts of Managua have never been rebuilt or restored, including the National Cathedral. Roberto Clemente, whose ill-fated trip to Managua was intended to safeguard earthquake supplies, died in a plane crash while traveling to Nicaragua.

Somoza also allegedly was selling Nicaraguan blood plasma abroad, at the time of the earthquake, when medical supplies, including blood products, were desperately in short supply.

Somoza was re-elected president in the 1974 election. By this time, the Catholic church had begun to speak against his government. (Indeed, one of his fiercest critics was Ernesto Cardenal, a leftist Nicaraguan priest who preached liberation theology and would become the Sandinista government's Minister of Culture.) By the late 1970s, human rights groups were condemning the record of the Somoza government, while support for the Sandinistas was growing inside and outside the country.

Fall[link]

In 1975 Somoza Debayle launched a campaign to crush the Sandinistas; individuals suspected of supporting the Front were targeted. The Front, named after Augusto César Sandino (a Nicaraguan rebel leader in the 1920s), began its guerrilla war against the Somozas in 1963 and was funded by Cuba under Fidel Castro and the Soviet Union. Support for the Sandinistas ballooned after the earthquake, especially when U.S President Jimmy Carter withdrew American support for the regime for human rights reasons.

At this point, the opposition to the Somozas included not only Sandinistas, but other prominent figures such as Pedro Chamorro (assassinated on January 10, 1978). Israel was the last supplier of weapons to the Somoza regime, because during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, Somoza's father provided substantial financial support for Israel. Carter forced the Israeli government to call back a ship carrying weapons vital to the survival of the Somoza regime.

Because of his status, most of his family members were forced to flee into Honduras, Guatemala, and the United States, it is uncertain where the remaining Somozas live given the fact that they changed their names to protect their own lives.

In July 1979, Somoza resigned the presidency and fled to Miami in a converted Curtiss C-46. He was denied entry to the U.S. by President Carter. He later took refuge in Paraguay, then under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. He bought a ranch and a gated house at Avenida de España no. 433 in Asunción. Somoza's regime only survived him by a day, when the Sandinistas captured Managua.

Assassination[link]

Somoza was assassinated near his exile home on September 17, 1980. He was 54 years old. Somoza Debayle was ambushed by a seven-person Sandinista commando team (four men and three women). This was known as "Operation Reptile".

The Sandinista team had two Soviet-made machine guns, two AK-47 assault rifles, two automatic pistols, and an RPG-7 rocket launcher with four anti-tank grenades and two rockets. The leader was Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Enrique Gorriarán Merlo (code named "Ramon"), an ex-Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo member.^[4] One of the team members said: "We cannot tolerate the existence of millionaire playboys whilst thousands of Latin Americans are dying of hunger. We are perfectly willing to give up our lives for this cause."

For over six months the Sandinista assassins researched and planned their assault. The team meticulously studied Somoza's movements with a team member who was staked out at a newspaper kiosk near the estate. They waited in ambush for Somoza in Avenida España. Somoza was often driven about the city in a presumed unarmored Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. Team member Oswaldo, disguised as a paper boy, watched Somoza exit the estate and signaled when he was leaving at 10:10 A.M.

Once in position, Hugo Irarzun (Capitán Santiago) readied the RPG-7. He tried to fire an anti-tank rocket at the car, but the RPG-7 misfired. Ramon then gunned down the chauffeur while Irarzun quickly reloaded the RPG with a new rocket. The second rocket made a direct hit on the sedan. Accounts mentioned that the Mercedes' engine kept on running even after the rocket explosion. Previously the commando team had considered the possibility that Somoza's vehicle might indeed be equipped with forward-paneled armor. This would most likely deflect the rocket projectile upwards if hit from a frontal stance. The Sandinista team decided to engage with a lateral attack which would rule out any projectile deflection. Somoza was killed instantly and charred with the other two passengers in the car, his financial advisor Jou Baittiner and his new driver César Gallardo. Later media reports in Paraguay stated that Somoza's body was so unrecognizable that forensics had to identify him through his feet.^[5]

Of the seven assassins, six escaped. Irarzun was later captured because of his blond beard and was executed.

Somoza was buried in Miami at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum. A few months before Somoza's death, his memoirs, Nicaragua Betrayed, were published. In them he blamed the Carter Administration for his downfall. His son, Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero, went into exile in Guatemala.

Former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and Cuba expert Professor Brian Latell argues in his book After Fidel, that the plan to assassinate Somoza was devised in Havana with direct input from Fidel Castro. According to him, the Sandinistas had won power in July 1979 with the assistance of massive, covert Cuban military aid. Along with his brother Raúl Castro, the two masterminded a complex multinational covert action to provide the Sandinistas with huge quantities of modern armaments. Cuban intelligence and paramilitary advisors poured into Nicaragua along with the equipment. Latell states that the evidence indicated that the assassination operation was similar to other assassination operations Cuban intelligence had been involved in, and that Somoza was a long-time nemesis of Castro after he provided critical support to the U.S. in preparing for the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in April 1961.^[6] Jorge Masetti, former Argentine guerrilla working with Cuban intelligence services, describes the Somoza assassination and Cuba´s direct role in the planning in his autobiographical book In the Pirate´s Den.^[7]

His funeral became an occasion for wealthy Nicaraguan and Cuban exiles in South Florida to gather and protest the left-wing governments of Nicaragua under the FSLN and Cuba under Castro. However, other accounts^{[clarification needed]} note that this group in Miami was also relieved at Somoza's death because the newly-founded Contra army, which consisted of many ex-members of Somoza's National Guard, would have to give the impression of having no relation to the old Somoza regime, for purposes of public relations and world opinion.

In popular culture[link]

Somoza was the subject of the 1983 film Last Plane Out where he was portrayed by actor Lloyd Battista. The film chronicles journalist Jack Cox's journey to Nicaragua when Somoza was battling insurgents. He also appeared in another 1983 film, the Hollywood production Under Fire set during the 1979 Nicaraguan Revolution, this time being portrayed by actor René Enriquez.

See also[link]

Biography portal

• National Guard (Nicaragua)
• Nicaraguan Revolution
• Somoza Family

Bibliography[link]

• Alegria, Claribel, and Flakoll, Darwin J. Death of Somoza. Curbstone Press, 1996.
• Berman, Karl. Under the Big Stick: Nicaragua and the United States Since 1848. South End Press, 1986.
• Booth, John A. The End And The Beginning: The Nicaraguan Revolution. Westview Press, 1985.
• Booth, John A. and Thomas W. Walker. Understanding Central America. Westview Press, 1999.
• Christian, Shirley. Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family. Vintage, 1986.
• Crawley, Eduardo. Dictators Never Die: Nicaragua and the Somoza Dynasty. Palgrave Macmillan, 1979.
• Diederich, Bernard. Somoza and the Legacy of U.S. Involvement in Central America. Markus Wiener Publishers, 2007.
• Dillon, Sam. Comandos: The CIA and Nicaragua's Contra Rebels. Henry Holt & Co, 1992.
• Kinzer, Stephen. Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua. David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, 2007.
• Lake, Anthony. Somoza Falling: A Case Study of Washington at Work. University of Massachusetts Press, 1990.
• Leiken, Robert S. (ed.) and Barry M. Rubin (ed.). The Central American Crisis Reader. Summit Books, 1987.
• Merrill, Tim (ed.). Nicaragua: A Country Study. Federal Research Division Library of Congress, 1995.
• Millett, Richard. Guardians of the Dynasty. Orbis Books, 1977.
• Norsworthy, Kent and Tom Barry. Nicaragua: A Country Guide. Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, 1990.
• Pastor, Robert A. Condemned to Repetition: The United States and Nicaragua. Princeton University Press, 1987.
• Persons, David E. A History Of The Nicaraguan Contras. Stephen F. Austin State University, 1988.
• Pezzullo, Lawrence and Ralph Pezzullo. At the Fall of Somoza. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994.
• Rees, John (ed.). Ally Betrayed...Nicaragua. Western Goals, 1980.
• Somoza, Anastasio (as told to Jack Cox). Nicaragua Betrayed. Western Islands, 1980.
• Towell, Larry. Somoza's Last Stand: Testimonies from Nicaragua. Red Sea Press, 1990.
• Walker, Thomas W. Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle. Westview Press, 2003.
• Zimmermann, Matilde. Sandinista: Carlos Fonseca and the Nicaraguan Revolution. Duke University Press, 2001.

References[link]

1. ^ Diederich, Bernard. Somoza and the Legacy of U.S. Involvement in Central America. p. 14
2. ^ Somoza, Anastasio and Jack Cox. Nicaragua Betrayed. p. ix
3. ^ Diederich, p. 42
4. ^ Gorriarán Merlo, Enrique. Memorias ("Memories") ISBN 950-49-1063-7
5. ^ Somoza Car
6. ^ Brian Latell, Castro's Secrets: The CIA and Cuba's Intelligence Machine (New York: Palgrave MacMillan,2012), p. 124-125.
7. ^ Jorge Masetti, In the Pirate´s Den: My Life as a Secret Agent for Castro (Encounter Books: San Francisco, 2002).

v t e Presidents and heads of state of Nicaragua Fruto Chamorro · Francisco Castellón1 · Nazario Escoto1 · José María Estrada · Patricio Rivas · William Walker · Patricio Rivas · Tomás Martínez and Máximo Jerez Junta · Fernando Guzmán · José Vicente Cuadra · Pedro Joaquín Chamorro · Joaquín Zavala · Adán Cárdenas · Evaristo Carazo · Nicolás Osorno · Roberto Sacasa · Ignacio Chávez · Roberto Sacasa · Junta · Salvador Machado · Joaquín Zavala · José Santos Zelaya · José Madriz · José Dolores Estrada · Luis Mena · Juan José Estrada · Adolfo Díaz · Emiliano Chamorro · Diego Manuel Chamorro · Rosendo Chamorro · Bartolomé Martínez · Carlos José Solórzano · Emiliano Chamorro · Sebastián Uriza · Adolfo Díaz · José María Moncada · Juan Bautista Sacasa · Carlos Alberto Brenes · Anastasio Somoza García · Leonardo Argüello · Benjamín Lacayo · Víctor Manuel Román · Manuel Fernando Zurita · Anastasio Somoza García · Luis Somoza · René Schick · Orlando Montenegro · Lorenzo Guerrero · Anastasio Somoza Debayle · Liberal-Conservative Junta · Anastasio Somoza Debayle · Francisco Urcuyo · Junta of National Reconstruction · Daniel Ortega · Violeta Chamorro · Arnoldo Alemán · Enrique Bolaños · Daniel Ortega 1 in León.

Leandro Daniel Somoza (born 26 January 1981) is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Boca Juniors in the Argentine Primera División.

Club career[link]

Somoza began his professional career playing for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera in 2001. He played for the club for five years, and was a key player in the 2005 Clausura tournament winning team.

In 2006, Somoza was transferred to La Liga's club Villareal CF on a five year contract. At Villarreal he joined fellow countrymen Juan Román Riquelme, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Fabricio Fuentes and Mariano Barbosa. However, he spent only one season in Villarreal, being loaned in August 2007 to Real Betis. The Argentine midfielder was presented to the media on 14 August and made his first appearance in a friendly against Real Zaragoza two days later. His first competitive debut came in the season against Recreativo Huelva, on 26 August.

After his second season in Spain, Somoza returned to Argentina for the 2008–09 season to play again for Vélez Sársfield. During the 2009 Clausura, he was part of the squad that won the Argentine league championship, but did not participate in any of the games due to an injury he had suffered at the end of the previous tournament.

Somoza scored for the first time after his injury on a 1–1 draw with Lanús, on the 9th fixture of the 2009 Apertura.^[1]

On January 14, 2011, Somoza signed on to play with Boca Juniors.^[2]

International career[link]

Somoza debuted for Argentina by then new manager Alfio Basile in the friendly international against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium in London, England during 2006. Two years later, while playing for Vélez, he was called again by Basile for the match against Chile. He remained on the bench, however.

Achievements[link]

Club[link]

Vélez Sársfield

• Primera División: 2

2005 Clausura, 2009 Clausura

Boca Juniors

• Primera División: 1

2011 Apertura

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile at Vélez Sarsfield's official website (Spanish)
• Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI (Spanish)
• Leandro Somoza at National-Football-Teams.com
• Career statistics at Guardian
• Somoza, Leandro Daniel at Historia de Boca.com (Spanish)