Anastasio Somoza García

Anastasio Somoza García (1896–September 29, 1956) was a President of Nicaragua.

He became president following the assassination of President Juan Bautista Sacasa and began a dynasty of dictatorship in Nicaragua, ruling from 1937 to 1956. The dictatorship lasted 42 years. He was shot on September 21, 1956, by Rigoberto López Pérez in the city of León, and died several days later after being sent to a Panama Canal Zone hospital.

Although his rule was repressive and corrupt, the United States viewed him as a source of anti-communism and stability in the region. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) told his aides that "he may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch."