Biography of Manuel Bonilla
He was born in Juticalpa (1849) and died in Tegucigalpa (1913). He was a politician and military officer. During Soto’s government, he held various public positions.
He accompanied Policarpo Bonilla during the so-called Reivindicadora Revolution (1893-1894), serving as Vice President of the Republic, a position he later resigned from. He was a presidential candidate in the 1903 elections, securing the highest number of votes but without the absolute majority required by the Constitution. He self-proclaimed himself the winner and defeated the government forces led by Terencio Sierra, overthrowing the government of Juan Ángel Arias. He served as President of the Republic from 1903 to 1907.
In 1904, he dissolved the Congress and imprisoned several deputies. He was overthrown by the Liberal Party, supported by José Santos Zelaya, the ruler of Nicaragua. With the help of American businessman Samuel Zemurray, he returned to the presidency in 1912 after the resignation of Miguel R. Dávila and the provisional presidency of Francisco Bertrand (1911-1912).
He granted extensive land concessions for banana cultivation to both Zemurray’s Cuyamel Fruit Co. and the United Fruit Co.
