Emilio Núñez (born Juan Emilio de la Caridad Núñez y Rodriguez on 27 December 1855 in Esperanza, Las Villas,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

– 5 May 1922 in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba) was a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cubans, Cuban desc ...

soldier, dentist, and politician.Marquez Sterling, Carlos & Manuel; ''Historia de la Isla de Cuba''; Books & Mas, Inc, Miami, Florida (1996)

Early life and education

Núñez graduated in 1889 from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and was a dental surgeon in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. At an early age, he joined the Cuban Revolutionary Army and fought in the "Guerra de Diez Años" (

Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War ( es, Guerra de los Diez Años; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. O ...

) attaining the rank of colonel.Marquez Sterling, Carlos & Manuel; ''Historia de la Isla de Cuba''; Books & Mas, Inc, Miami, Florida (1996). He was captured and imprisoned in

El Morro Castle Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.ww ...

where he escaped, and returned to organize a rebel group to operate in San Diego del Valle until 1880 when

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the libera ...

convinced him that Cuban independence was not feasible at the moment. Núñez then went into exile where he collaborated closely with Marti and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. From the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

he sent arms, ammunition and food to Cuba as Commander in Chief of the Department of Expeditions until 1885. He became a Major-General in the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

. He organized armed revolutionary expeditions from the United States. He was one of 31 delegates in the Cuban Constitutional Convention of 1900. He was the Civil

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Province of Havana from 1899–1902 and was the first person to raise the

flag of Cuba The national flag of Cuba ( es, link=yes, Bandera de Cuba) consists of five alternating stripes (three blue and two white) and a red equilateral triangle at the hoist, within which is a white five-pointed star. It was designed in 1849 and offici ...

at El Morro Castle on May 20, 1902 at noon. Núñez served as Cuban Secretary of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor in 1913 and as

Vice President of Cuba The vice president of Cuba, previously the vice president of the Council of State between 1976 and 2019, is the second highest political position obtainable in the Council of State of Cuba. Currently there is a provision for several Vice Presiden ...

from 1917-1921.

Family

Núñez was the son of Bernardo Núñez y Perez-Labrador and Eulalia Rodriguez y Otero. He was married to Dolores Portoundo y Blez and they had six children: Bernardo (1886–1967), Julia (1888–1974), Maria Estrella (1890–1926), Ricardo (1893–1973),

Emilio Núñez Portuondo Emilio Núñez Portuondo (September 13, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. – August 19, 1978, in Panama City, Panama) was a Cuban politician, lawyer, and diplomat. He was the 13th Prime Minister of Cuba in 1958. He received the Nationa ...

(1898–1978) and America (1903–1964). All were born in Philadelphia except America, who was born in Havana.

References

Bibliography

* Nunez-Portoundo, Ricardo, ''General Emilio Nunez: Un Procer Cubano'', Publicaciones Cultural(1994), * Paine, Ralph Delahaye, ''Roads of Adventure'', Houghton Mifflin Company (1922) * Parker, William Belmont, ''Cubans of To-Day'', G. P. Putnam's Sons (1919)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunez, Emilio American people of Cuban descent 1855 births 1922 deaths People from Sagua la Grande University of Pennsylvania alumni American dentists Vice presidents of Cuba