Juan Bautista Spotorno (1832–1917) was a president of

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 ...

. He was an interim president of the Republic of Cuba in arms from 1875 to 1876.

Life

Spotorno grew up in an Italian family in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Cuba, where he was born on September 13, 1832. His name goes back to the

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

n coastal town of

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. As a child, he was sent to Italy for education and later to the United States. In the US, he began studies for a medical degree, which he did not complete, but instead devoted himself to commerce and returned to his homeland. From 1863, he was councilor of Trinidad and leader of the first cavalry of the Spanish militia. On 24 February 1870, he was promoted to colonel. In 1871, he went to the province of Puerto Príncipe and followed General Major

Ignacio Agramonte Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz (1841–1873) was a Cuban revolutionary, who played an important part in the Ten Years' War (1868–1878). Biography Born in the province of Puerto Príncipe (what is now the province of Camagüey, kingdom of Spain) on ...

(the "George Washington" of Cuba). In 1873, he was elected to the House of Representatives of Las Villas. As a result of the resignation of Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, Spotorno became his successor as "interim" president of the "Republic of Cuba in arms" on 29 June 1875. In less than one year, he improved the government to positive levels. The final accomplishment of Spotorno's administration was the holding of elections to the House of Representatives; these were held without problems. On 21 March 1876, he gave up the presidency to

Tomás Estrada Palma Tomás Estrada Palma (c. July 6, 1832 – November 4, 1908) was a Cuban politician, the president of the Cuban Republican in Arms during the Ten Years' War, and the first President of Cuba, between May 20, 1902, and September 28, 1906. His collate ...

and returned to the House of Representatives. He was known for his honesty. After the war, he became a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and fought bravely in the war of 1895 for the independence of Cuba. Spotorno died on 29 October 1917. His funeral was held with huge crowds of Cubans, who appreciated his honesty and integrity.

References

Bibliography

* El Criollo. ''Album de el Criollo: semblanzas''. Est. tip. O'Reilly (número 9). Havana, 1888. * Navarro, Luis. ''Las guerras de España en Cuba''.Volume 116 of Ensayos (Encuentro). Publisher Encuentro. Madrid, 1998 * Otero, Juan Joaquin. ''Libro De Cuba, Una Enciclopedia Ilustrada Que Abarca Las Artes, Las Letras, Las Ciencias, La Economia, La Politica, La Historia, La Docencia, Y ElProgreso General De La Nacion Cubana'' - Edicion Conmemorative del Cincuentenario de la Republica de Cuba, 1952. La Habana, 1954 {{DEFAULTSORT:Spotorno, Juan Bautista Presidents of Cuba 1832 births 1917 deaths

Life

See also

References

Bibliography