The Somoza family was an influential political dynasty who ruled Nicaragua as a family dictatorship from 1936 to 1979. Although they only held the presidency for 30 of those 43 years, they were the power behind the other presidents of the time through their control of the National Guard. Their regime was overthrown by the Sandinista National Liberation Front during the Nicaraguan Revolution. 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
Famous quotes containing the word family:
“... a family I know ... bought an acre in the country on which to build a house. For many years, while they lacked the money to build, they visited the site regularly and picnicked on a knoll, the site’s most attractive feature. They liked so much to visualize themselves as always there, that when they finally built they put the house on the knoll. But then the knoll was gone. Somehow they had not realized they would destroy it and lose it by supplanting it with themselves.”
—Jane Jacobs (b. 1916)