He was a military ruler and gained power by deposing Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez, a man he had previously helped achieve control of the country by taking part in a conspiracy to oust Carlos Ezeta four years earlier.

Tomás Herculano de Jesús Regalado Romero was born on 7 November 1861 in Santa Ana, El Salvador.

[1] Upon leaving office, he remained active in the Army of El Salvador and was appointed Minister of War by his handpicked successor Pedro José Escalón.

His coup d'état led to the dissolution of the Greater Republic of Central America after his government withdrew from it.

His peaceful transfer of power to Pedro José Escalón in 1903 allowed for a degree of political stability that persisted until the 1931 Salvadoran coup d'état.