Andrés Rivero Agüero (4 February 1905 – 8 November 1996) was a Cuban politician who served as the 12th

Prime Minister of Cuba The prime minister of Cuba (), officially known as the president of the Council of Ministers () between 1976 and 2019, is the head of government of Cuba and the chairman of the Council of Ministers (cabinet). The prime minister is the third-hi ...

and was elected

president of Cuba The president of Cuba (), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba (), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was established under the Constitution of 2019. The President is the second-highest office in Cuba and ...

in the 1958 Cuban presidential election.

Early life and education

Rivero was born to extremely poor parents in San Luis, Oriente Province (now

Santiago de Cuba Province Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center. Other large cities include Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, Cuba, Contramaestre, San Luis, Sa ...

) on 4 February 1905. He taught himself to read when he was 16. Rivero managed to secure a high school education by his own efforts, and obtained a law degree from Havana University (1934).

Political career

Elected a city councilman in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, he quickly became a leader 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. For example, while the political systems ...

, and was befriended by

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

. During Batista's first administration (1940–1944), Rivero served as Minister of Agriculture, and implemented Batista's plan for resettling landless peasants in

Oriente Province Oriente (, "East") was the easternmost province of Cuba until 1976. The term "Oriente" is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country, which currently is divided into five different provinces. The origins of Oriente lie in the 1607 di ...

. During General Batista's exile in the United States from 1944–1952, Rivero practised law in Cuba and wrote political commentary for several periodicals. When

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

returned to run for President of Cuba in 1952, Rivero helped to organise Batista's United Action Party. He supported Batista's military coup on 10 March 1952, and thereafter served as Minister of

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

(1952-1955) in Batista's second administration (1952–1959). Elected a Senator from Pinar del Río Province in 1954, Rivero became Cuba's

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(1957–1958), and participated in several reconciliation conferences as Batista's representative. Rivero resigned his premiership in 1958 to run for President of Cuba. He received the support of Batista's Progressive Action Party, and three other pro-government parties. Rivero was declared the winner of the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

, which were speculated by many to have been rigged with the support of the United States government in an effort to repel the ongoing

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

. Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p217 After the election, Rivero entered into conversations with U.S. Ambassador Earl E. T. Smith, and with leading Cuban politicians, to resolve the crisis caused by the ongoing rebellion led by

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

. He apparently wished to convene a

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

shortly after taking office, to bring about a restoration of constitutional rule. However, the success of the revolution frustrated Rivero's plans, and he fled with General Batista into exile in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

on 1 January 1959.

Later life

Rivero eventually settled in the United States, living in extremely modest circumstances. He lived to be a great-grandfather. Rivero died in Miami, Florida in 1996.

References

External links

Despatch From the US Embassy in Cuba to the US Department of State 1958
Elections: Electoral Outlook Six Weeks Prior to Elections {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivero Aguero, Andres Cuban senators Prime ministers of Cuba 1905 births 1996 deaths Liberal Party of Cuba politicians People from Santiago de Cuba Province Cuban people of Spanish descent People of the Cuban Revolution 1950s in Cuba 20th-century Cuban lawyers 20th-century Cuban politicians Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Exiles of the Cuban Revolution in the United States