William Walker

The American adventurer who led mercenaries to take control of Nicaragua and made himself president.

Life

Adventurer

Walker was from Tennessee in the United States and had studied medicine and law. In 1853 he led an invasion of Baja California in Mexico, proclaiming his own "republic," but failed and returned home.

President of Nicaragua

In 1855, invited by one side in Nicaragua's civil war, he led American mercenaries into Nicaragua and seized power; in 1856 he made himself president, restored slavery and made English the official language. The Central American states formed a coalition to fight him, with the Costa Ricans playing an especially large part.

Execution

In 1857 he was defeated and surrendered, and was repatriated to the United States. In 1860 he invaded again, was captured in Honduras by the British Navy and handed over to the Honduran authorities, who executed him.

Legacy

The "National War" that defeated Walker is seen by the Central American countries as a story of uniting against a common enemy, and the Costa Rican boy drummer Juan Santamaría became a national hero.

Did you know? He was the most famous of the 19th-century American "filibusters."

Key dates

• 1853Invades Baja California
• 1855Enters Nicaragua
• 1856Makes himself president
• 1857Defeated and surrenders
• 1860Executed in Honduras