León Cortés Castro (December 8, 1882 – March 3, 1946) was a Costa Rican politician.

[1] During his term he introduced new bank reforms, supported banana plantations in the South Pacific region, and established ports at Quepos and Golfito.

He considered changes to allow him to pursue re-election as President, but ultimately backed down due to a Constitutional ban on consecutive terms.

He was succeeded by Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, who ultimately broke with tradition and substantially increased the scope of the social state.

During his presidency, he appointed Max Effinger, the leader of the Costa Rican chapter of the NSDAP/AO, as the director of immigration.