Felipe Horacio Vásquez Lajara (October 22, 1860 – March 25, 1936) was a

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 ...

military general and political figure who was President of the Dominican Republic from 1924 to 1930. He was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Dominican Republic dictator

Ulises Heureaux Ulises Hilarión Heureaux Leibert (; October 21, 1845 – July 26, 1899) nicknamed Lilís, was Presidents of the Dominican Republic, president of the Dominican Republic from September 1, 1882 to September 1, 1884, from January 6, 1887 to Februar ...

in 1889. He was subsequently the president of the Provisional Government Junta of the

for two months in 1899 before serving as Vice President of the DR from November 1899 to 1902. Between 1902 and 1903, he was again president of the Provisional Government Junta of the Dominican Republic. Supporters of Vásquez were known as Horacistas, as opposed to Jimenistas, supporters of Vásquez's main rival,

Juan Isidro Jimenes Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (November 15, 1846 – May 9, 1919) was a Dominican Republic political figure. He served as the president of the Dominican Republic between 15 November 1899 and 2 May 1902, and again between 5 December 1914 and 7 May ...

, and Lilisistas, supporters of the murdered dictator Heureaux. He ran for a full term as president in 1914, but lost to Jimenes. Following the occupation of the Dominican Republic by U.S. military forces from 1916–1924, Vásquez was democratically elected as president of the country and served between 1924 and 1930, and again separately in 1930 before being ousted by General

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( ; ; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (; "the boss"), was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until Rafael Trujillo#Assassination, ...

and sent into

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. In 1888, Vásquez married

Trina de Moya María de los Ángeles Trinidad de Moya Pérez (January 13, 1863 – March 13, 1941), known as just Trina de Moya, was a Dominican Republic poet and writer. She served as the First Lady of the Dominican Republic as the wife of President Horac ...

, a poet and writer from La Vega. A

metro station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

in Santo Domingo is named after him.

Early life

Horacio Vásquez was born on October 22, 1860, in the city of Moca in the Cibao region. His parents were Basilio Vásquez Lizardo (son of the Spanish Ramón Vásquez and the Mocana María Lizardo Caba) and Ramona Lajara Gómez (daughter of the Azuano Pedro Lajara and Tomasa Gómez). Vásquez acquired important knowledge, as a young adult he dedicated himself to agricultural and commercial work, frequently traveling to La Vega, where he was related to his socially important family. A man of great stature and a strong physical presence, he quickly gained the popularity from people who especially appreciated him for his serenity, the rectitude of his conduct, his intellectual conditions and his distinguished bearing. Horacio Vásquez was 26 years old when he entered politics a few days after the Moya Revolution broke out. When the city of La Vega was attacked by insurgent troops, he stood out in its defense, showing solidarity and fighting for the government headed by Alejandro Woss and Gil.

Political career

In the military coup of 1902, Vásquez expelled President Jiménez, dissolved the congress and assumed power under the legal form of "Provisional President" with the support of the National Party and without naming a vice president. In 1903, faced with a chaotic situation in the economy and the threat of intervention by the United States, a coup d'état overthrew General Vásquez, who after several weeks of fighting, resigned as president of the provisional government in April 1903. His cousin, Ramon Caceres, was president from 1906 to 1911. After the American occupation of 1916 until 1924 he returned to occupy the presidency of the Republic, after elections were held and with the approval of the American troops who withdrew from the island. He was elected president for the period 1924-1928 with 69.8% of the votes, but the forced extension of his mandate until 1930 and his eventual reelection caused a revolt by the National Guard, led by Rafael Trujillo, that overthrew Vásquez in 1930. Vásquez's supporters were known as Horacistas, unlike the Jimenistas, supporters of Vásquez's main rival.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Horacio 1860 births 1936 deaths People from Espaillat Province White Dominicans Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent Red Party (Dominican Republic) politicians Presidents of the Dominican Republic Vice presidents of the Dominican Republic 19th-century Dominican Republic politicians 20th-century Dominican Republic politicians Dominican Republic military personnel