José Napoleón Duarte

Duarte, José Napoleón (1925–90), president of El Salvador 1980–82 (appointed) and 1984–88 (elected). His nation suffered from a civil war and attendant economic crises throughout his public life. A Christian Democrat, he promoted democracy and reconciliation as his nation's only hopes, but his efforts were in vain. Terminally ill, he declined to run again for office in 1989.

See also: El Salvador.