José Ignacio Rodríguez (November 11, 1831 – February 1, 1907) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n-American lawyer,

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

, writer, historian, and pro- Pan Americanist. He was the first librarian of the

Pan American Union The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

and

Columbus Memorial Library Columbus Memorial Library is located in the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. The library offers extensive collection of books and periodicals that date back to 1535. Its holdings include the official docu ...

. Rodríguez served as legal counsel for numerous Cuban claimants before various Spanish and American claims commissions, including the cases of Antonio Maximo Mora,

Julio Sanguily Julio Sanguily Garritte (1845–1906) was a Cuban independence activist and insurgent who took prominent roles in the rebel army during the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Cuban War of Independence(1895–1898). Origins Julio Sanguily Gar ...

, Néstor Ponce de León, Jose M. Delgado, and the

Virginius affair The ''Virginius'' Affair was a diplomatic dispute that occurred from October 1873 to February 1875 between the United States, Great Britain, and Spain (then in control of Cuba) during the Ten Years' War. ''Virginius'' was a fast American ship h ...

Biography

Early life and education

José Ignacio Rodríguez y Hernández was born on November 11, 1831, in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Spanish Cuba. His parents were José Ignacio Rodríguez and Catalina Hernández. Graduating in law from the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

in 1849 and obtaining a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in 1853. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Havana and earned his licentiate of law on July 24, 1855. He became a professor of

Natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...

and

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

at the Havana Preparatory Technical School in 1856.District of Columbia: Concise Biographies of Its Prominent and Representative Contemporary Citizens, and Valuable Statistical Data .... (1908). United States: Potomac Press. He went on to teach law at the

. Vidal Morales y Morales was a former pupil of his in Havana. While working at the university, he joined in the procession of Dr.

Elisha Kent Kane Elisha Kent Kane (February 3, 1820 – February 16, 1857) was a United States Navy medical officer and Arctic explorer. He served as assistant surgeon during Caleb Cushing's journey to China to negotiate the Treaty of Wangxia and in the A ...

on February 20, 1857, for the conveyance of his remains to the U.S. via the steamer ''The Catawba''. By 1863, he was a

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; ) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher doctorate usually awarded on the basis of except ...

and

Commercial Law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of Legal person, persons and organizations ...

. On February 21, 1863, he was involved in the third general meeting of the Royal Development Board and

Royal Economic Society The Royal Economic Society (RES) is a professional association and learned society that promotes the study of economics. Originally established in 1890 as the British Economic Association, it was incorporated by royal charter on 2 December 1902. ...

of Havana, at the Government Palace, presided over by Captain General Dulce. In Havana on February 14, 1864, Rodríguez wrote the autobiography of the rector of the

, ''Elogio del Excmo. Sr. Dr. Manuel Gómez-Marañón, Rector que fue de la Real Universidad''.

Ten Years' War

Amid the

Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War (; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On 10 October 1868, sugar mil ...

, in 1869, Rodríguez, along with other Cuban reformers, backed the reform agenda of the liberal governor

Domingo Dulce Domingo Dulce y Garay, 1st Marquis of Castell-Florite (Sotés (La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja), Spain, 7 May 1808 - Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda, France, 23 November 1869), was a Spanish nobility, noble and general, who fought in the First Carlist War a ...

. José Ignacio Rodríguez wrote ''The Book of Blood'' in 1871, with the English translation by Néstor Ponce de León published in 1873. By documenting the savage treatment of Cubans by the Spanish, the book aimed to prompt the U.S. government to intervene against Spain.

Career

By the mid-1870s, Rodríguez, now an American citizen, had established a legal practice in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, focusing on Latin American issues. He studied law under Chief Justice Caleb Cushing and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia and the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. He published the autobiography of

José de la Luz y Caballero José Cipriano de la Luz y Caballero (July 11, 1800 – June 22, 1862) was a Cuban scholar, acclaimed by José Martí as "the father ... the silent founder" of Cuban intellectual life of the 19th century. Interest in Luz's work was revived around ...

, titled ''Vida de Don José de la Luz y Caballero'', in 1874, and that of

Félix Varela Félix Varela y Morales (November 20, 1788 – February 18, 1853) was a Cuban Catholic priest and independence leader who is regarded as a notable figure in the Catholic Church in both his native Cuba and the United States, where he also served. ...

, titled ''Vida del presbítero don Félix Varela'', in 1878. Rodríguez took on the role of estate administrator in 1882 under the

Probate Court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as orphans' courts o ...

in the District of Columbia, overseeing legal matters and asset distribution. He additionally handled the 1882–83 case of Néstor Ponce de León against the Spanish colonial authorities in Cuba, concerning the 1869

embargo Economic sanctions or embargoes are commercial and financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of coercion that attempts to get an actor to change its behavior throu ...

of his property by Lt. Gov. Domingo Dulce, 1st Marquis of Castell-Florite. Rodríguez, aligned with

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

ist views, was in favor of the U.S. Government's acquisition of Cuba's independence by purchase.

First Pan American Conference

In February 1890, he served as secretary at the first International American Conference, commonly known as the

Pan-American Conference The Conferences of American States, commonly referred to as the Pan-American Conferences, were meetings of the Pan-American Union, an international organization for Free trade agreement, cooperation on trade. James G. Blaine, a United States pol ...

. He succeeded Fidel G. Pierra as the Spanish

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the Conference. The interpreters were responsible for promptly translating speeches, and highlighting the key remarks of each delegate. In

in 1891, he served as secretary of the International Monetary Commission presided over by

Matías Romero Matías Romero Avendaño (24 February 1837 – 30 December 1898) was a Mexican politician and diplomat who served three times as Secretary of Finance and twice as ambassador of Mexico to the United States during the 19th century. Early life ...

. During a special term for Orphans' Court on March 19, 1892, he went to take out letters testamentary as the executor of a will, seeking formal legal authority to administer the deceased person's estate. He worked on the 1893 case of Antonio Maximo Mora, which pursued

indemnity In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...

for property taken by the Spanish government as retribution for his advocacy of Cuban independence. The case was settled for $1,000,000 in 1895. He was involved with the translation of ''The Authentic Letters of Columbus'' by William Eleroy Curtis and published by Field Columbian Museum in May 1895. Taking on the role of

power of attorney A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...

for José Manuel Delgado in July 1896, Rodríguez filed claims for the injuries and indignities inflicted on Delgado, as well as for the destruction of property by the Spanish authorities. In 1897, he served as the

legal counsel A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as wel ...

, who was released in 1898. From Washington, he published ''The Case of the Arrest, Trial and Sentence in the City of Havana, Island of Cuba of Julio Sanguily: A Citizen of the United States of America''.Rodríguez, J. I. (1897) The case of the arrest, trial and sentence in the city of Havana. Washington, D.C., Press of W. F. Roberts. dfRetrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/unk81032482/. As a private adviser on

Spanish law The Law of Spain is the legislation in force in the Kingdom of Spain, which is understood to mean Spanish territory, Spanish waters, consulates and embassies, and ships flying the Spanish flag in democratically elected institutions. Characterist ...

, he traveled to

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1898 for the U.S. Peace Commission, which secured the Treaty of Paris and ended the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

. In 1901, he published ''Anexión de Cuba'' (), a detailed work exploring the political and historical context of Cuba's potential annexation.

International Bureau of American Republics

On April 7, 1902, the Governing Board of the International Bureau of American Republics appointed him to the post of Chief Translator for the International Bureau of American Republics (now

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

) and the first librarian of the

in Washington. From its early days, he led the International Bureau of the American Republics library until his passing. At the Second International American Conference in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

in October 1902, he was the designated official

interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

for the United States delegation. In July 1903, he earned $2,700.00 as the chief interpreter of the International Bureau of the American Republics.

Death

José Ignacio Rodríguez died on February 1, 1907, in

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ignacio Rodríguez, José 1831 births 1907 deaths Cuban writers Cuban lawyers Cuban historians 19th-century Cuban historians Cuban autobiographers Historians of Cuba 19th-century Cuban lawyers Lawyers from Havana Writers from Havana