| Term start | Term end | Name | Political Party |
| 30 April 1854 | 12 March 1855 | Fruto Chamorro Pérez (provisional to 1854, acting to 1855) | Liberal party |
| 12 March 1855 | 20 March 1855 | Ponciano Corral Acosta (de facto) | Military |
| 20 March 1855 | 25 October 1855 | José María Estrada (acting) | Military |
| 25 October 1855 | 24 June 1857 | Patricio Rivas (provisional) | Conservative party |
| 12 July 1856 | 1 May 1857 | William Walker (in opposition) | |
| 24 June 1857 | 19 October 1857 | Government Junta
composed of:
Máximo Jerez
Tomás Martínez | Conservative and Liberal party |
| 19 October 1857 | 15 November 1857 | Government Junta
composed of:
Gregorio Juárez
Rosalío Cortés | Conservative and Liberal party |
| 15 November 1857 | 1 March 1867 | Tomás Martínez | Conservative party |
| 1 March 1867 | 1 March 1871 | Fernando Guzmán | Conservative party |
| 26 June 1869 | 1869 | Francisco Baca (in dissidence) | Liberal party |
| 1 March 1871 | 1 March 1875 | José Vicente Cuadra | Conservative party |
| 1 March 1875 | 1 March 1879 | Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro | Liberal party |
| 1 March 1879 | 1 March 1883 | Joaquín Zavala (1st term) | Liberal party |
| 1 March 1883 | 1 March 1887 | Adán Cárdenas | Liberal party |
| 1 March 1887 | 1 August 1889 | Evaristo Carazo | Liberal party |
| 1 August 1889 | 5 August 1889 | David Osorno (acting) | Liberal party |
| 5 August 1889 | 1 January 1891 | Roberto Sacasa (1st term, acting) | Conservative party |
| 1 January 1891 | 1 March 1891 | Ignacio Chávez | Conservative party |
| 1 March 1891 | 11 July 1893 | Roberto Sacasa (2nd term) | Conservative party |
| 30 April 1893 | 20 May 1893 | Eduardo Montiel (Commandant of the Army Restoring Order, in dissidence) | Military |
| 20 May 1893 | 1 June 1893 | Revolutionary Government Junta (in dissidence)
composed of:
José Santos Zelaya
Joaquín Zavala
Eduardo Montiel
| Conservative and Liberal party |
| 1 June 1893 | 15 July 1893 | Salvador Machado (acting) | Conservative party |
| 16 July 1893 | 31 July 1893 | Joaquín Zavala (2nd term, acting) | Conservative party |
| 31 July 1893 | 21 December 1909 | José Santos Zelaya | Liberal party |
| 24 February 1896 | May 1896 | Francisco Baca hijo (acting, in dissidence) | Liberal party |
| 3 February 1899 | 26 February 1899 | Juan Pablo Reyes (provisional, in dissidence) | Liberal party |
| 21 December 1909 | 20 August 1910 | José Madriz (acting) | Liberal party |
| 20 August 1910 | 27 August 1910 | José Dolores Estrada (acting) | Conservative party |
| 27 August 1910 | 30 August 1910 | Luis Mena (1st time, acting) | Conservative party |
| 30 August 1910 | 9 May 1911 | Juan José Estrada (provisional (in dissidence from 10 October 1909) to 1 January 1911, then president pro témpore) | Liberal party |
| 9 May 1911 | 1 January 1917 | Adolfo Díaz (1st term, acting to 1 January 1913) | Conservative party |
| 29 July 1912 | 23 September 1912 | Luis Mena (2nd time, acting; in rebellion) | Liberal party |
| 23 September 1912 | 4 October 1912 | Benjamín Francisco Zeledón Rodríguez (supreme chief of government; in rebellion) | Military/Liberal party |
| 1 January 1917 | 1 January 1921 | Emiliano Chamorro Vargas (1st term) | Conservative party |
| 1 January 1921 | 12 October 1923 | Diego Manuel Chamorro Bolaños | National party |
| 12 October 1923 | 27 October 1923 | Rosendo Chamorro (acting) | National party |
| 27 October 1923 | 1 January 1925 | Bartolomé Martínez (acting) | Conservative party |
| 1 January 1925 | 16 January 1926 | Carlos José Solórzano | Conservative party |
| 16 January 1926 | 11 November 1926 | Emiliano Chamorro Vargas (2nd term, acting) | Conservative party |
| 11 November 1926 | 14 November 1926 | Sebastián Uriza (acting) | Conservative party |
| 14 November 1926 | 1 January 1929 | Adolfo Díaz (2nd term) | Conservative party |
| 14 November 1926 | 1 January 1929 | Juan Bautista Sacasa (1st time, acting in dissidence) | Liberal party |
| 1 January 1929 | 1 January 1933 | José María Moncada | Liberal party |
| 1 January 1933 | 9 June 1936 | Juan Bautista Sacasa (2nd time) | Liberal party |
| 9 June 1936 | 9 June 1936 | Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa (acting, not installed) | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 9 June 1936 | 1 January 1937 | Carlos Alberto Brenes Jarquín (acting) | Liberal party |
| 1 January 1937 | 1 May 1947 | Anastasio Somoza García (1st term) | Military/Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 1 May 1947 | 26 May 1947 | Leonardo Argüello Barreto | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 26 May 1947 | 15 August 1947 | Benjamín Lacayo Sacasa (acting) | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 15 August 1947 | 6 May 1950 | Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 6 May 1950 | 7 May 1950 | Manuel Fernando Zurita (acting) | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 7 May 1950 | 29 September 1956 | Anastasio Somoza García (2nd term) | Military/Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 29 September 1956 | 1 May 1963 | Luis Somoza Debayle | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 1 May 1963 | 3 August 1966 | René Schick Gutiérrez | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 3 August 1966 | 4 August 1966 | Orlando Montenegro Medrano (acting) | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 4 August 1966 | 1 May 1967 | Lorenzo Guerrero Gutiérrez | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 1 May 1967 | 1 May 1972 | Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1st term) | Military/Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 1 May 1972 | 1 December 1974 | National Government Junta
composed of:
Roberto Martínez Lacayo
Fernando Agüero (to 1 March 1973)
Edmundo Paguaga Irías (from 1 March 1973)
Alfonso Lovo Cordero | Military/Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 1 December 1974 | 17 July 1979 | Anastasio Somoza Debayle (2nd term) | Military/Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 17 July 1979 | 18 July 1979 | Francisco Urcuyo (acting) | Liberal Nationalist Party |
| 18 July 1979 | 10 January 1985 | Government Junta of National Reconstruction
composed of:
Daniel Ortega (coordinator from 4 March 1981)
Sergio Ramírez
Violeta Chamorro (to 19 April 1980)
Adolfo Robelo (to 22 April 1980)
Moisés Hassan Morales (to 4 March 1981)
Rafael Ángel Córdova Rivas (from 18 May 1980)
Arturo Cruz (18 May 1980 - 4 March 1981) | Sandinista National Liberation Front |
| 10 January 1985 | 25 April 1990 | Daniel Ortega (1st term) | Sandinista National Liberation Front |
| 25 April 1990 | 10 January 1997 | Violeta Chamorro | National Opposition Union |
| 10 January 1997 | 10 January 2002 | Arnoldo Alemán | Constitutionalist Liberal Party |
| 10 January 2002 | 10 January 2007 | Enrique Bolaños | Constitutionalist Liberal Party |
| 10 January 2007 | Incumbent | Daniel Ortega (2nd term) | Sandinista National Liberation Front |
