National Congress of Nicaragua

The National Congress of Nicaragua (Spanish: Congreso Nacional) was the legislature of Nicaragua before the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979.^[1]

National Palace in early 1900s, the sitting place of the National Congress

The congress was bicameral, and consisted of Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) and Senate (Cámara del Senado).

The Chamber of Deputies had 42 members (in 1968). They were popularly elected at-large, with one deputy for each 30 000 citizens. The Chamber of Deputies was the stronger chamber, all legislation was introduced there. The Senate was able block bills from the Chamber of Deputies with two-thirds majority.^[2]

The Senate had 18 senators (in 1968). There was one senator for each of the 16 national departments, and senators-for-life (former Presidents of the Republic), and one senator who was the runner-up in the latest presidential elections.^[2]

One-third representation of the major opposition party was guaranteed in both houses.^[2]

The congress met in the National Palace.

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies before 1979

Name	Term	Notes
Pedro Solis	1838-1839	[3]
Benito Rosales	1839-1841	[3]
Brigadier Tomás Valladares	1841-1843	[3]
Juan de Dios Orozco	1843-1845	[3]
José León Sandoval	1845-1846	[3]
Norberto Ramírez Áreas	1846	[3]
Justo Abaunza Martínez	1846-1847	[3]
Eduardo Castillo	1847-1848	[3]
Pío José Bolaños Thomeu	1848	[3]
General Ponciano Corral Acosta	1848-1849	[3]
Rosalío Cortés Sánchez	1849	[3]
José Laureano Pineda	1849	[3]
Toribio Terán	1849-1852	[3]
General Fulgencio Vega	1852-1853	[3]
José León Sandoval	1853-1854	[3]
José María Estrada	1854-1855	[3]
Pedro Zeledón Mora	1855-1858	[3]
Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández	1858-1859	[3]
José Antonio Mejia	1859-1860	[3]
Colonel Agustin Avilez Alfaro	1860-1861	[3]
Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández	1861-1868	[3]
Pedro Navas	1868	[3]
Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández	1868-1869	[3]
General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro	1869-1870	[3]
José Argüello Arce	1870-1872	[3]
Emiliano Cuadra	1872-1874	[3]
Francisco Alemán	1874-1875	[3]
Santiago Morales	1875	[3]
Seferino González	1875-1877	[3]
Francisco del Castillo	1877-1879	[3]
Adán Cárdenas del Castillo	1879-1881	[3]
General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro	1881-1882	[3]
Benjamin Guerra	1882-1883	[3]
General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro	1883	[3]
José Francisco Aguilar Sacasa	1883-1885	[3]
Adán Cárdenas del Castillo	1885-1886	[3]
Adrián Zavala	1886-1887	[3]
Salvador Castrillo	1887-1889	[3]
Vicente Navas Fonseca	1889-1890	[3]
Domingo Salinas	1890-1891	[3]
Agustin Duarte	1891-1892	[3]
Salvador Santana Romero	1892-1893	[3]
Francisco Baca (hijo)	1893	[3]
Fernando Sánchez Salinas	1893	[3]
Francisco de Montenegro	1893-1896	[3]
José Madriz Rodríguez	1896	[3]
Celedonio Morales	1896	[3]
José Madriz Rodríguez	1896-1905	[3]
General Julián Irías	1905-1906	[3]
Fernando Abaunza	1906-1909	[3]
General Aurelio Estrada Morales	1909	[3]
Santiago Argüello Barreto	1909	[3]
José Madriz Rodríguez	1909-1910	[3]
General Juan José Estrada	1910	[3]
Manuel Maldonado	1910-1911	[3]
José María Estrada	1911	[3]
Ignacio Suárez	1911	[3]
Adán Cárdenas	1911-1912	[3]
Luís Correa	1912-1913	[3]
Salvador Zamora	1913	[3]
Salvador Chamorro	1913-1914	[3]
Narciso Lacayo Lacayo	1914-1915	[3]
General Miguel Cárdenas	1915	[3]
César Pasos	1915-1917	[3]
Hernán Jarquín	1917	[3]
General Isidro Urtecho	1917	[3]
Mariano Zelaya	1917-1918	[3]
General Sebastián Uriza	1918	[3]
Pedro González	1918-1923	[3]
Eduardo Castillo C.	1923-1924	[3]
General Alfonso Estrada	1924-1925	[3]
Juan José Martínez	1925-1926	[3]
Demetrio Cuadra Pasos	1926-1929	[3]
Domingo Calero Blandino	1929-1931	[3]
Francisco Baltodano	1931-1933	[3]
Coronado Urbina	1933-1934	[3]
Benjamín Lacayo Sacasa	1934	[3]
Onofre Sandoval	1934-1935	[3]
Simeón Rizo Gadea	1935-1936	[3]
Humberto Alvarado	1936	[3]
Carlos Alberto Brenes	1936	[3]
Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa	1936-1937	[3]
Fernando Sánchez Salinas	1937-1938	[3]
Manuel Cordero Reyes	1938-1939	[3]
Aurelio Montenegro	1939-1940	[3]
Roberto González Dubón	1940-1944	[3]
Aurelio Montenegro	1944-1946	[3]
C. A. Bendaña	1946-1948	[3]
Pedro J. Nuñez	1948	[3]
Francisco Baltodano	1948-1950	[3]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1950-1952	[3]
Manuel Fernando Zurita	1952-1953	[3]
Luis Somoza Debayle	1953-1954	[3]
Ulises Irías	1954-1955	[3]
Luis Somoza Debayle	1955-1956	[3]
Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza	1957-1959	[3]
Aurelio Montenegro	1959	[3][4]
Juan José Morales Marenco	1959–1961	[3][5]
Orlando Montenegro Medrano	1961-1962	[3]
Ulises Irías	1962-1963	[3]
Juan José Morales Marenco	1963–1964	[3]
Victor Manuel Talavera	1964-1965	[3]
Orlando Montenegro Medrano	1965-1966	[3]
José Maria Briones	1966-1967	[3]
Adolfo Martínez Talavera	1967–1968	[3][6]
Orlando Montenegro Medrano	1968-1969	[3]
Orlando Tijerino Medrano	1969-1970	[3]
Orlando Montenegro Medrano	1970–1972	[3][7]
Cornelio H. Hüeck	1972–1976	[3][8][9]
Orlando Montenegro Medrano	1976	[3]
Luis Pallais Debayle	1976-1978	[3]
Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños	1978–July 1979	[3][10][11]

Presidents of the Senate before 1979

Name	Term	Notes
M. J. Cordero	1913–1914	[12]
Pedro González	1914–1915	[13]
José Demetrio Cuadra	1915–1916	[14]
Sebastián Uriza	1916	[15]
Pedro González	1916–1917	[13]
Agustin Pasos	1917–1918	[16]
Sebastián Uriza	1918–1922	[17]
Hernán Jarquín	1922–1923	[18]
José Demetrio Cuadra	1923–1924	[19]
Gil Arévalo	1924–1925	[20]
Federico Sacasa	1925–1926	[21]
Sebastián Uriza	1926–1927	[22]
J. Leopoldo Salazar	1927–1928	[23]
José Demetrio Cuadra	1928	[24]
J. Leopoldo Salazar	1928–1929	[25]
Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes	1929–1930	[26]
Francisco Paniagua Prado	1930–1931	[27]
Leopoldo Ramírez Mairena	1931–1932	[28]
Hildebrando A. Castellón	1932	[29]
José Demetrio Cuadra	1932–1933	[30]
Hildebrando A. Castellón	1933–1934	[29]
Onofre Sandoval	1934–1935	[31]
José D. Estrada	1935–1936	[32]
Francisco Somarriba	1936	[33]
José D. Estrada	1936–1939	[32]
Onofre Sandoval	1939–1942	[34]
José María Moncada	1942–1943	[35]
Carlos A. Velázquez	1943–1944	[36]
Carlos A. Morales	1944–1945	[37]
Crisanto Sacasa	1945	[38]
Onofre Sandoval	1945	[39]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1945–1946	[40]
Juan José Martínez	1946–1947	[41]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1947–1948	[42]
Pedro A. Blandón	1948–1949	[43]
Lorenzo Guerrero	1949–1950	[44]
Alberto Argüello Vidaurre	1950–1951	[45]
Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza	1951–1952	[46]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1952–1953	[47]
Lorenzo Guerrero	1953–1954	[48]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1954–1955	[49]
Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza	1955–1956	[50]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1956–1957	[49]
Lorenzo Guerrero	1956–1957	[51]
Luis Manuel Debayle	1957–1958	[52]
Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza	1958–1959	[4]
Leonardo Somarriba	1959	[5]
Pablo Rener	1959–1960	[53]
Fernando Delgadillo Colé	1960–1961	[54]
José María Zelaya Cardoza	1961–1962	[55]
Lorenzo Guerrero	1962	[56]
José María Zelaya Cardoza	1962–1963	[57]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1963	[58]
José Frixione	1963	[59]
Victor Manuel Talavera	1963–1964	[59]
Adrián Cuadra	1964–1965	[60]
Luis Arturo Ponce Sotomayor	1965	[61]
Humberto Castrillo Morales	1965	[62]
Luis Somoza Debayle	1965–1966	[63]
Mariano Argüello Vargas	1966	[64]
Pablo Rener	1966–1967	[65]
Humberto Castrillo Morales	1967–1968	[6]
Constantino Mendieta R.	1968–1969	[7]
Cornelio H. Hüeck	1969–1970	[66]
Gustavo F. Chávez	1970–1971	[67]
Humberto Castrillo Morales	1971–1972	[68]
Pablo Rener	1972–July 1979	[69][70][8][11]

Presidents of the Legislature during Federal Republic of Central America

Name	Term	Notes
Juan Manuel Zamora	1825	[3]
Juan Argüello del Castillo	1825	[3]
Francisco Reñasco	1825	[3]
Gregorio Porras	1825-1826	[3]
Pedro Muñoz	1826-1827	[3]
Pío José Bolaños Thomeu	1827	[3]
Manuel Mendoza	1827-1829	[3]
José María Estrada	1829-1832	[3]
José de Montenegro	1832-1833	[3]
Evaristo Berríos	1833-1837	[3]
Joaquin Barrios	1837-1838	[3]
Pedro Aguirre	1838	[3]

See also

• National Assembly (Nicaragua) – Unicameral legislature since 1986
• History of Nicaragua