Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican journalist and politician (b. 1920)
Alberto Cañas Escalante (16 March 1920 – 14 June 2014) was a politician, writer, intellectual, public servant, and journalist from San José, Costa Rica. He is known as one of the most important figures in the cultural, political, and social life of Costa Rica during the latter half of the twentieth century. The National Library System of Costa Rica credits Cañas with more than 4,773 publications as of 2005.
He was Vice Minister of International Relations (1955–1956), ambassador (1956–1958), and a two-time deputy (1962–1966 and 1994–1998). Additionally, he was the first Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports (1970). He edited several newspapers: Diario de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Daily), La República (The Republic), and Excelsior (Excelsior). He wrote editorials for La Nación (The Nation), La Prensa Libre (The Free Press), and Semanario Universidad (University Weekly). Cañas is the great-grandson of General José María Cañas Escamilla.