León Cortés Castro

León Cortés Castro (8 December 1882 – 3 March 1946) was a Costa Rican educator, lawyer and politician who served as the 28th President of Costa Rica from 1936 to 1940. His presidency was marked by an extensive public works program, including the construction of numerous public schools and the former La Sabana International Airport, leading contemporaries to refer to his government as the gobierno del cemento y la varilla (“cement and steel administration”).

Cortés was the last in a succession of liberal presidents prior to the political and social reforms associated with Calderonism in the 1940s. During his term, he considered constitutional changes that would have permitted his immediate re-election but ultimately did not pursue them due to the constitutional prohibition on consecutive presidential terms. He was succeeded by Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, whose administration expanded the role of the state through a series of social reforms.

Cortés’s views on European politics and fascism have been the subject of historical debate. He expressed admiration for certain aspects of Nazi Germany’s economic policies. During his presidency, he appointed engineer Max Effinger Graf, head of the Costa Rican branch of the Nazi Party/Foreign Organization, as director of immigration. In that role, Effinger implemented restrictive immigration policies that limited the entry of individuals classified as “non-Aryan,” including Polish Jewish refugees seeking asylum in Costa Rica. Effinger had previously worked under Cortés as a paid consultant between 1932 and 1933.