Guzmán, Antonio

Guzmán (Fernández), (Silvestre) Antonio

(born Feb. 12, 1911, La Vega, Dom.Rep.—died July 4, 1982, Santo Domingo) President of the Dominican Republic (1978–82). Son of a textile merchant, he managed textile stores before being elected president as a left-of-centre candidate, despite attempts by followers of the incumbent, Joaquín Balaguer, to halt the vote count. Responding to the collapse of world sugar prices, he launched an aggressive agricultural policy that quickly enabled the country to achieve self-sufficiency in rice and beans. Though he inherited a turbulent political and economic situation, he left behind a stable economy and democratic institutions guaranteeing civil liberties. His death was an apparent suicide.