Neill W. Macaulay Jr. (April 10, 1935 in
South Carolina – October 28, 2007 in
Micanopy,
Florida) was a
writer,
professor and a former
lieutenant in
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
's
26th of July Movement Army.
Prof. Macaulay was a graduate of the University of Texas and
The Citadel and served two years with the
U.S. Army in the
Korean War where he managed the
PX. After his army service, Macaulay joined the
Cuban Revolution in 1958, to overthrow
Fulgencio Batista.
As Castro's forces closed in on Havana, in December 1958 Macaulay started training firing squads and was promoted to lieutenant. Members of Macaulay's unit included
Rafael del Pino, who became chief of Cuba's air force, but later defected. After the revolution, Cuba gave Macaulay a tomato farm and he profitably shipped one crop to
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 ...
. However, in 1961, when Castro announced intentions to control exports, he left for the U.S. where he had to fight a legal battle to retain his
U.S. citizenship
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
.
Macaulay then earned a doctorate from the
University of Texas and began teaching at the
University of Florida (1964-1986) where he became known as an expert in
Latin American history. He retired from teaching in 1986.
Macaulay authored ''The
Sandino Affair'' (1967) (a study of Nicaraguan resistance to U.S. occupation in the 1920-30s),
''A Rebel in Cuba'' (1970), ''The Prestes Column'' (1974) and ''Dom Pedro: the struggle for liberty in Brazil and Portugal, 1798–1834'' (1986, ). He co-authored with
David Bushnell ''The Emergence of Latin America in the Nineteenth Century'' (1988, 2nd: 1994, ).
He returned to
Cuba in 1991, after being repeatedly denied entry by the
Castro government
The political career of Fidel Castro saw Cuba undergo significant economic, political, and social changes. In the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and an associated group of revolutionaries toppled the ruling government of Fulgencio Batista, forcin ...
. He later made various other trips as an academic. Macaulay's experiences in Cuba helped inspire two documentaries ''Cuba: A Lifetime of Passion'' (2007)
and ''Patria o Muerte'' (still in production).
References
Further reading
*
External links
"U.S. Born Cuba Rebel Repudiated Castro" ''
The Miami Herald'', November 2, 2007, Page 5B
Obituary ''
The Gainesville Sun''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macaulay Jr., Neill W.
1935 births
2007 deaths
Cuban revolutionaries
Opposition to Fidel Castro
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni
University of Texas at Austin alumni
University of Florida faculty
People of the Cuban Revolution