José Miguel Irisarri y Gamio (born 1895 - 1968) was a lawyer and a member of the Pentarchy of 1933.

Biography

Early life

José Miguel Irisarri y Gamio was born in

Abreus Abreus () is a municipality and town in the Cienfuegos Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1840. History Abreus was founded as San Segundo de los Abreu in 1840 by Trinidadian landowners during an economic boom of slave-labor sugar cane plantation ...

Santa Clara Province Santa Clara (also known as Las Villas or Provincia de Santa Clara after 1940) was a historical province of Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud ...

(now

Cienfuegos Province Cienfuegos () is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819. Overview Until 2011, Cienfuegos was the smallest province in Cuba (excluding the city of H ...

Spanish Cuba The Captaincy General of Cuba () was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire created in 1607 as part of Habsburg Spain's attempt to better defend and administer its Caribbean possessions. The reform also established captaincies general ...

, on August 31, 1895. He completed his early studies in Spain. From 1923 to 1924, he participated in the Veterans' And Patriots' Movement led by

Carlos García Vélez Carlos García y Vélez (April 29, 1867 - November 6, 1963) was a Cuban dental surgeon and army general during the Cuban War of Independence and Spanish–American War. Biography Early history Carlos García y Vélez was born in Santa Rita, Jigu ...

in opposition to the

Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso Alfredo de Zayas y Alfonso (February 21, 1861 – April 11, 1934), usually known as Alfredo de Zayas under Spanish naming customs and also known as Alfredo Zayas, was a Cuban lawyer, poet and political figure who was President of Cuba. He ser ...

administration. He was educated as a lawyer. On January 17, 1930, he participated in a debate at the

Havana Bar Association The Havana Bar Association (), founded in the 19th century, was a legal institution of lawyers and law students in Havana, the capital of Cuba. History The Havana Bar Association was founded in Havana, Cuba in the 19th century. The governing bo ...

Politics

Irisarri was an early member of the

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 ...

() established at 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 ...

. For rejecting the presidency of a

Gerardo Machado Gerardo Machado y Morales (28 September 1869 – 29 March 1939) was a general of the Cuban War of Independence and President of Cuba from 1925 to 1933. Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform ...

electoral district, he was imprisoned for two years in Castillo del Príncipe on the Isle of Pines. He went into exile in May 1931 and returned to Cuba amid the

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada (August 12, 1871 – March 28, 1939) was a Cuban writer, politician, diplomat, and President of Cuba. Early life and career He was the son of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Ana Maria de Quesada y Loynaz ...

presidency. During this period,

Sumner Welles Benjamin Sumner Welles (October 14, 1892September 24, 1961) was an American government official and diplomat. He was a major foreign policy adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as Under Secretary of State from 1936 to 1943, dur ...

reported that Irisarri was a law partner of Cuban President

Mario García Menocal Aurelio Mario Gabriel Francisco García Menocal y Deop (December 17, 1866 – September 7, 1941) was the 3rd President of Cuba, serving from 1913 to 1921. His term as president saw Cuba's participation in the Allies in World War I. Early li ...

's son-in-law, Eugenio Sardina.

Pentarchy of 1933

In September 1933, Irisarri was a part of the brief provisional government of Cuba, known as the Pentarchy of 1933, which included Porfirio Franca, Guillermo Portela,

Ramón Grau Ramón Grau San Martín (; 13 September 1881 – 28 July 1969) was a Cuban physician who served as President of Cuba from 1933 to 1934 and from 1944 to 1948. He was the last president (other than Carlos Manuel Piedra who was interim president ...

, and

Sergio Carbó Sergio Carbó (born 1891 - April 18, 1971) was a prominent Conservative journalist and leader of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, Cuban Revolutionary party. Early history Sergio Carbó was born in the La Habana Province of Cuba. Journalism Sergio ...

. The short-lived Pentarchy lasted for 5 days, before being replaced by the first Grau administration. Irisarri remained closely connected to the Cuban political party,

Partido Auténtico The Cuban Revolutionary Party – Authentic (, PRC-A), commonly called the Authentic Party (, PA), was a political party in Cuba most active between 1934 and 1952. Although the Partido Auténtico had significant influence, it eventually became unp ...

, founded in 1934. In the early 1940s, Irisarri headed Cuba's Import and Export Agency. On July 18, 1942, President

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 ...

issued a decree appointing Dr. Irisarri as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

. By 1943, he left his position by submitting his resignation. In 1943, while in Havana, he consulted with Frank Southard of the Navy Department and E.M. Bernstein of the Treasury Department about creating a Cuban

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

. When

assumed the presidency in 1944 until 1948, Jose Irisarri served in his

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. In 1948, Grau's successor,

Carlos Prío Socarrás Carlos Manuel Prío Socarrás (; July 14, 1903 – April 5, 1977) was a Cuban politician. He served as the President of Cuba from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952, three months before new ...

became president, establishing the Auténtico government. On December 20, 1950, President Carlos Prío signed a law to establish the Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank. In January 1951, Jose Irissari was appointed

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

of the bank's Agricultural Division, headquartered in Havana. After

1952 Cuban coup d'état The 1952 Cuban coup d'état took place in Cuba on March 10, 1952, when the Cuban Constitutional Army, led by Fulgencio Batista, intervened in the election that was scheduled to be held on 1 June 1952, staging a coup d'état and establishing a '' ...

deposed President

, Irisarri immediately resigned from the position he held. He kept practicing law as an attorney and was listed in 1956 with an office in the Almendares neighborhood of Havana.Guía social de La Habana. (1956). (n.p.): (n.p.).

Death

José Miguel Irisarri y Gamio died in 1968.

References

1895 births 1968 deaths Cuban revolutionaries 20th-century Cuban politicians People from Havana {{Cuba-politician-stub