Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla (12 December 1862,

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

– 26 June 1937) was an archbishop, educator and interim president of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Early life and education

Nouel was born to Carlos Rafael Nouel y Pierret, a Dominican diplomat, law teacher, journalist, and businessman of French descent, and Clemencia Antonia Bobadilla y Desmier D’Olbreuse (daughter of President Tomás Bobadilla y Briones, of full Spanish descent and the first ruler of the Dominican Republic, with his wife of French noble origin María Virginia Desmier D’Olbreuse y Allard, from the Desmier of Olbreuse dynasty) in

. Nouel was 3/4 French and 1/4 Spanish. His great-grandfather, Barthelemy Pierret Grinet, was a French gunnery sergeant who arrived to the island on 29 January 1802 in the fleet commanded by General Leclerc, Napoleon's brother-in-law. He began his studies in El Colegio El Estudio, of Santo Domingo, and afterward he studied at the Seminary of the Dominican Capital. Before going to study abroad, he was a student of Archbishop Fernando Arturo de Meriño. He went to

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where he studied in the Colegio Latin Pio for ten years. He excelled in this school as one of the brightest students. In 1883 he received a doctorate in philosophy and bachelor's degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

from the Gregorian University. In 1885, accompanied by

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Meriño, he returned to Santo Domingo and received the sacred order of priesthood in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

Priesthood

In 1888 he became the

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of San Juan. In 1890, he became parish priest of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo and

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the Conciliar Seminary of Santo Tomas de Aquino. In this seminary he taught Philosophy,

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and

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Later he became parish priest of Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz in el Seibo, San Juan de la Maguana and finally of the parish in La Vega. In this city he initiated the building of a church the Town designated as "adopted son". In 1903, he was elected deputy of the Province of La Vega. He traveled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, in this year and was designated by Cardinal Merry de Val as Archbishop of Metymma and successor of Monsignor Merino whom he succeeded in the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo after his death on August 20, 1906.

Politics

He was inaugurated as provisional

president of the Dominican Republic The president of the Dominican Republic ( es, Presidente de la República Dominicana) is both the head of state and head of government of the Dominican Republic. The presidential system was established in 1844, following the proclamation of th ...

through a decree of the National Congress on November 30, 1912. His rise to office was due to the ongoing Civil War and the imperative that the presidential office be occupied by a neutral person, who inspired trust and respect, and could offer a stable peace. He resigned before the National Assembly, on April 13, 1913, after considering that he had achieved his purpose to bring peace to the country. The invasion of the Dominican Republic by American troops, surprised him while he was in

where he had traveled for health reasons. He returned to Santo Domingo in 1920 and wrote a letter to the American Ambassador protesting the American intervention.

Writing

His literary work has not been published. Typed copies are kept by the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo. He was in charge of editing the work of his father ''Historia Eclesiastica de la Arquidiocesis de Santo Domingo''. He was in the middle of revising several documents from ''el Archivo de Indias'' when he died in 1937.

Tributes

Monseñor Nouel Province Monseñor Nouel () is a province in the central region of the Dominican Republic. It was split from La Vega province in 1982. Name The province is named after Monseñor Dr. Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla (1862-1937), an Archbishop of Santo ...

was named for Adolfo Nouel.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nouel, Adolfo Alejandro 1862 births 1937 deaths Roman Catholic archbishops of Santo Domingo 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Dominican Republic Presidents of the Dominican Republic Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic Monseñor Nouel Province Dominican Republic people of Breton descent Dominican Republic people of French descent Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent Dominican Republic people of Canarian descent White Dominicans