Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty

The Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty (Spanish: dinastía Meléndez-Quiñónez) was a period in El Salvador's history from 1913 to 1927 when the Salvadoran government was controlled by the Meléndez–Quiñónez political family. During this period, three of the family's members—brothers Carlos Meléndez and Jorge Meléndez and their brother-in-law Alfonso Quiñónez Molina—rotated control of the presidency between themselves.

The dynasty began in 1913 when Carlos became president after Manuel Enrique Araujo's assassination. Carlos resigned in 1914 to run in the 1915 presidential election and was briefly succeeded by Quiñónez. Carlos won the election and served until his resignation in 1918. Quiñónez again succeeded him, and Carlos' younger brother Jorge won the 1919 election. He served until 1923 when he was succeeded by Quiñónez. Quiñónez served until 1927 when he was succeeded by Pío Romero Bosque, his minister of war and a personal friend. Quiñónez intended to continue ruling El Salvador through Romero as a puppet ruler, but Romero politically broke from the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty. Jorge and Quiñónez attempted to overthrow Romero, but their December 1927 coup attempt failed, ending the dynasty's influence in El Salvador.

The Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty ruled El Salvador in an authoritarian manner. It utilized fraudulent elections and political repression by the Red League paramilitary to hold onto power. Jorge and Quiñónez established the National Democratic Party (PDN) in 1918 to ensure that its allies got elected to political offices. In 1922, the Red League killed a dozen people during the Christmas Day Massacre who supported a rival in the 1923 presidential election. The dynasty benefitted economically from high coffee prices and foreign investments; meanwhile, Salvadoran workers protested and demanded more rights and improved working conditions.