Facts: - death place: san jose , california , us - successor: jesus jimenez zamora - death date: 26 september 1887 - predecessor: juan rafael mora - office: president of costa rica - term end: 8 may 1863 - term start: 14 august 1859 - birth date: 19 march 1815 - name: jose maria montealegre - image: jose maria montealegra fernandez.jpg - birth place: san jose , costa rica Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of jose maria montealegre .
The answer to this question is:
jose maria montealegre fernandez -lrb- 19 march 1815 - september 26 , 1887 -rrb- was president of costa rica from 1859 to 1863 .born into a wealthy family of coffee plantation owners , he was sent to study medicine in aberdeen , where he graduated as a surgeon .he came to power through a coup d'etat against juan rafael mora .in the first months of his presidency he convened a constitutional conventional , which produced the constitution of 1859 .under the new constitution he was popularly elected to a three-year presidential term in 1860 , after which he handed on the presidency , peacefully and democratically , to jesus jimenez .after earning the animosity of president tomas guardia , montealegre decided to leave costa rica .he died in san jose , california and his mortal remains laid near mission san jose -lrb- located in what is now fremont , ca -rrb- until they were repatriated in 1978 .his sister was geronima montealegre , and his great-great-grandniece is actress madeleine stowe .