His family was of Spanish heritage, and he had eight brothers: Aquiles, Máximo, Emilio, Raúl, Ulises, Luis, Ricardo and Horacio.

[10] The dispute had arisen in 1910, when after Panama was separated from Gran Colombia the boundary with Costa Rica required clarification.

On the Atlantic Coast, the French arbiter had given territory from Costa Rica to Panama and both sides accepted the ruling.

[11] Still unresolved, Acosta proposed in 1916 that the United States occupy the disputed territory to allow engineers from each country to survey the boundary and develop a resolution.

[15] He also soon found work in the editorial office of the Diario del Salvador newspaper, writing about the unrest in Costa Rica.

[18] He favored giving women the vote,[19] established a pension program for veterans,[20] proposed renegotiation of debts to stabilize the currency,[21] and normalized the relationship of the state with Pope Benedict XV.

Because of on-going disputes with Nicaragua and Panama, the members of the proposed union were to be Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

[33][34] Diplomatic discussion followed, but delays on the Panamanian side forced the American arbiter to demand a withdrawal of Panama from the Coto Region on 23 August, ending the matter.

Returning to Costa Rica in 1927, he continued to work with the Red Cross[37] until 1929, when he was appointed as a member to the Mortgage Credit Board.

[38] When his term ended in 1942, Acosta became the manager of the Social Security Fund and the following February assumed the presidency of the National Civil Defense Board.

During that time, he served as Costa Rica's signatory in the 1945 convention in San Francisco for the signing of the United Nations Charter.