Q:Facts:   - death place: san jose , california , us    - successor: jesús jiménez 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: josé maría montealegre    - image: josé maría montealegra fernández.jpg    - birth place: san josé , costa rica   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of josé maría montealegre .
A:
josé maría montealegre fernández -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'état 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 jesús jiménez .after earning the animosity of president tomás 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 gerónima montealegre , and his great-great-grandniece is actress madeleine stowe .