Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada (August 12, 1871 – March 28, 1939) was a Cuban writer, politician, diplomat, and
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 ...
.
Early life and career
He was the son of
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Ana Maria de Quesada y Loynaz. He was a twin with his sister Gloria Dolores. He was also a distant cousin of
Perucho Figueredo
Pedro Felipe Figueredo, (born 18 February 1818 – 17 August 1870), mostly known as Perucho, was a Cubans, Cuban poet, musician, and freedom fighter of the 19th century. In the 1860s, he was active in the planning of the Cuban uprising agains ...
. In 1915, he married Laura Bertini y Alessandri, an Italian, first in Rome and then later again at City Hall in New York City by Mayor
John Purroy Mitchel. They had one child together, the daughter
Alba de Céspedes.
He was educated first in New York City until 1885, when his mother took him and his twin sister to Germany. He later earned degrees in international law and diplomacy from the
Collège Stanislas in Paris, France.
In 1895, he returned to Cuba and from 1895 to 1898 he fought in the War of Independence, becoming a ''teniente coronel'' (lieutenant colonel) and the revolutionary post of governor of the Province of
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 ...
.
Initial role in Cuban politics
He later entered Cuban politics and from 1902 to 1908, was vice president of the
Cuban House of Representatives. Then in 1909, he joined the Cuban diplomatic service and represented his country as minister to Italy, and to Argentina, and as a special envoy to Greece. In 1914, he was Cuban Ambassador to the United States.
He returned to Cuba in 1922, to become
Foreign Minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
under
Gerardo Machado but resigned after a year. President Machado then named him Ambassador to Mexico, but Céspedes delayed his departure for reasons of ill health.
Presidency
Thereafter, he was active in trying to overthrow Machado. In August 1933, Machado left Cuba and Céspedes was offered the position of President. He took office on August 13, 1933.
Céspedes's Cabinet included Gobernación, Colonel
Federico Laredo Bru, Union Nacionalista
Justicia, Dr.
Carlos Saladrigas Zayas, A.B.C.
Hacienda, Dr. Joaquín Martínez Sáenz, A.B.C.
Obras Públicas, Eng. Eduardo J. Chibás, Liberal
Agricultura, Dr. Rafael Santos Jiménez, Marianista
Instrucción Pública, Dr Guillermo Belt, Union Nacionalista
Sanidad y Beneficencia, Dr. Antonio Presno, University of Habana
Comunicaciones, Dr. Nicasio Silverior, O.C.R.R.
Guerra y Marina, Demetrio Castillo Pokorny, non-partisan
Presidencia, Dr. Raul de Cardenas y Echarte, Conservative.
Already by August 19, 1933,
Sumner Welles noted the increasing tension that remained within the Cuban army after Céspedes's assumption of the presidency. The reasons for the tensions within the army included that various officials of Machado's administration were allowed to leave the country, that high-ranking army officials who were part of Machado's administration still held their army positions, and that General Sanguily, the Army Chief of Staff, was still hospitalized. Welles noted the following on August 24, 1933:
Given those circumstances, Welles proposed that "general elections may be held approximately 3 months from now so that Cuba may once more have a constitutional government in the real sense of the word." Céspedes agreed, and on August 25, 1933, issued Presidential Decree 1298, which basically annulled the 1928 constitutional reforms and re-established the
1901 Constitution of Cuba in its entirety, terminated the presidential mandate of Machado, dissolved the Cuban Congress, vacated the seats of the Supreme Court of Cuba, and declared that a general election would be held on February 24, 1934, for a new presidential term to begin on May 20, 1934.
The decree was clearly intended to provide political stability and bring public confidence to Cespedes’ Administration. Despite its intention Cespedes’ Administration would only last for an additional 11 days from the date of its pronouncement. The decree stated as follows:
Despite those measures, on September 4–5, 1933, the
Sergeants' Revolt took place while Céspedes was in Matanzas and Santa Clara after
a hurricane had ravaged those regions. The hurricane having cost the lives of 200 people and property damages in the millions. Upon returning and reaching the presidential palace,
Ramón Grau and members of the DEU or
Directorio Estudiantil Universitario The Directorio Estudiantil Universitario (DEU; ) was founded in 1927 by University of Havana students against the backdrop of a power grab by President Gerardo Machado consisting of constitutional reforms designed to prolong his presidential term by ...
were awaiting him. "At 1 p.m. the Cespedes Cabinet resigned and President Cespedes left the Palace to go to his own house. Very little disorder took place. Immediately thereafter the Committee of five members (
Pentarchy of 1933) of the revolutionary group took possession of the Palace as the executive power of the Cuban Republic."
[Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1933. The American Republics: Volume V, p. 384 http://images.library.wisc.edu/FRUS/EFacs/1933v05/reference/frus.frus1933v05.i0010.pdf ]
Later life
He then returned to the Foreign Service and became the Cuban Ambassador to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
In 1935, he returned to Cuba and wrote several books including ''Carlos Manuel de Céspedes'', ''Las Banderas de Yara y de Bayamo'', and ''Manuel de Quesada y Loynaz''.
He received numerous honors and awards including the Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes of Cuba, the Grand Cross of
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, the Grand Cross of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, the Grand Cross of
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, the Grand Cross of the Spanish Republic, the Grand Ribbon of the Order of the Liberator of
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, the
Order of Merit (Chile)
The Order of Merit () is a Chilean order of merit and was created in 1929. Succeeding the Medal of the Merit, which was created during the term of the President Germán Riesco through the Minister of War decree No. 1350 on 4 September 1906. This ...
'', Commander of the
National Order of the Legion of Honour of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and of the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...
of Italy.
He died on March 28, 1939, in Vedado, Havana, of a heart attack and is buried at
Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón in Havana.
References
The Perucho Figueredo Page bio* (Spanish)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cespedes y Quesada, Carlos Manuel de
1871 births
1939 deaths
Diplomats from New York City
Cuban people of Spanish descent
Liberal Party of Cuba politicians
Presidents of Cuba
Cuban diplomats
Members of the Cuban House of Representatives
Government ministers of Cuba
Ambassadors of Cuba to the United States
Ambassadors of Cuba to Spain
Children of presidents
1930s in Cuba
20th-century Cuban politicians
Commanders of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Cuban expatriates in the United States
Leaders ousted by a coup