José Joaquín de Olmedo y Maruri (March 20, 1780–February 19, 1847) is President of Ecuador from March 6, 1845 to December 8, 1845.
A patriot and poet, he is the son of the Spanish Captain Don Miguel de Olmedo y Troyano and the Guayaquilean Ana Francisca de Maruri y Salavarría.
On October 9, 1820, Olmedo and others declare the city of Guayaquil independent from Spain.
He is President of the Free Province of Guayaquil until it was united to Gran Colombia by Simón Bolívar against Olmedo's will. He is also twice mayor of Guayaquil.
He is Vice President of Ecuador from 1830 to 1831, and becomes President of Ecuador from March 6, 1845, to December 8, 1845, surviving an attempted coup on June 18 of that year.
He is also a noted poet who emphasizes patriotic themes. His best-known work is La victoria de Junin, which pictures the Latin American fighters for independence from Spain as the legitimate heirs of the Incas.
Olmedo devotes his life to Guayaquil: he creates the Guayaquilean flag and shield, and in 1821 he composes the Song to the October Ninth, which will become the Guayaquil Anthem.
He is quoted as saying “He who does not hope to win has already lost.”
The José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil is named after him.
