Anastasio Somoza Debayle

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Major General Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Somoza in July 1968
53rd President of Nicaragua
In office 1 December 1974 – 17 July 1979
Vice President	Vacant
Preceded by	Liberal-Conservative Junta
Succeeded by	Francisco Urcuyo (Acting)
In office 1 May 1967 – 1 May 1972
Vice President	First Vice President Francisco Urcuyo Second Vice President Alfonso Callejas Deshón
Preceded by	Lorenzo Guerrero Gutiérrez
Succeeded by	Liberal-Conservative Junta
Personal details
Born	(1925-12-05)5 December 1925 León, Nicaragua
Died	17 September 1980(1980-09-17) (aged 54) Asunción, Paraguay
Manner of death	Assassination
Resting place	Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum
Political party	Nationalist Liberal Party (PLN)
Spouse	Hope Portocarrero ​ ​ (m. 1950; sep. 1970)​
Children	Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero, Julio Somoza Portocarrero, Carolina Somoza Portocarrero, Carla Somoza Portocarrero, Roberto Somoza Portocarrero
Parents	Anastasio Somoza García (father) Salvadora Debayle (mother)
Military service
Allegiance	Nicaragua
Branch/service	National Guard
Years of service	1946–1979
Rank	Major general
Battles/wars	Nicaraguan Revolution

Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza Debayle (Spanish: [anasˈtasjo soˈmosa ðeˈβajle]; 5 December 1925 – 17 September 1980) was the 53rd President of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1979.^[1] As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country between 1967 and 1979, even during the period when he was not the de jure ruler.

Somoza Debayle succeeded his older brother, Luis Somoza Debayle, in office. He was the last member of the Somoza family to be president, ending a dynasty that had been in power since 1937. After insurgents led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Spanish: Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional; FSLN) were closing in on Managua in July 1979, Somoza fled Nicaragua. Power was ceded to the Junta of National Reconstruction. He was assassinated in 1980 while in exile in Paraguay.