María Gómez Carbonell (June 29, 1903May 24, 1988) was a Cuban

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

. She was one of the first group of seven women elected to Congress, serving in the House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940. In 1940 she became the first woman to be elected to the Senate, and in 1942 was appointed

Minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

, becoming the first woman in a Cuban cabinet. She founded Cruzada Educativa Cubana in 1962, as well as the Alliance of National Feminists.

Early life

Carbonell was born June 29, 1903, in Havana. An only child, her parents were Jose Fernando Gomez Santoyo and Candelaria Carbonell Rivero. Her maternal grandfather, Néstor Leonelo Carbonell Figueroa, as well as three uncles, José Manuel, Néstor, and Miguel Angel were involved in Cuba's politics and society. She was one of the first women to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Havana.

Career

She was a Democratic National Association candidate for the House of Representatives in La Habana Province in the 1936 general elections, the first in which women could vote, and was one of seven women elected. In the

1940 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1940. Africa * 1940 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1940 Philippine special election Europe * 1940 Moldavian parliamentary election * 1940 Swedish general election United Kingdom * ...

she was the first woman elected to the Senate, serving until 1944. She was appointed Minister without Porfolio in 1942, and was still a minister in the late 1950s. She served in the Senate again from 1955 to 1959 for Fulgencio Batista's National Progressive Coalition. During her career in Cuba's Congress, she delivered more than 160 speeches. She founded the Alliance of National Feminists in Cuba, as well as the Cruzada Educativa Cubana in 1962. Described as a "sought-after speaker in the Cuban exile community", she was exiled to the United States in 1959. While in exile in Miami, Florida, she became the founding member of civic organization (CEC) and the also umbrella organization of ''Municipios de Cuba en el Exilio'' ( Cuban Municipalities in Exile). In the publication called the ''El Habanero'', a Cuban exile periodical, she was Director for the Havana Province. While in exile in Miami, under the aegis of the ''Cruzada Educativa Cubana'', she organized Cuban Culture Day on 25 November every year when the Juan J. Remos Award was presented to Cubans for their contribution in the cultural and educational fields. The Cuban Teacher Day was also observed in Miami on July 11 every year when the José de la Luz y Caballero (a famous nineteenth century Cuban teacher and philosopher) Award was presented. She also scripted and presented a Spanish-language radio program titled "La Escuelita Cubana" highlighting issues related to Cuban history.

Death and legacy

Carbonell died on May 24, 1988, in Miami, Florida. She is cited as a "community icon in both Cuba and the United States".

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

References

Further reading