José Morales Lemus (May 10, 1808 – June 28, 1870) 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 ...

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

, merchant and lawyer.

Biography

José Gregorio Morales Lemus was born in

Gibara Gibara () is a town and municipality of the Province of Holguín in the Republic of Cuba. Gibara is the fourth largest town by population and the ninth by area in Holguín. History The main town was founded on January 16, 1817. It is also known ...

Holguín Province Holguín () is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa. The provinc ...

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 May 10, 1808. His origins trace back to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

through his parents. He spent his childhood and received his early education 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.Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' (), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional designation ''chancillería'' (or ''cancillería'', Catala ...

, which was the highest judicial body in Spanish colonies, including Cuba. In the mid-1860s, he served as both a director and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

for the Sagua La Grande

Railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

, established in 1863 and based in Havana. In 1863, he established the

periodical Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

''El Siglo'' () in Havana to advocate for

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

s in Cuba. In 1866, the government of

Isabella II Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

appointed a commission to assess the situation in Cuba. Leading a deputation of

reformists Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political establishment , political or religion , religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. ...

including

José Antonio Saco José Antonio Saco (May 7, 1797 – September 26, 1879) was a statesman, deputy to the Spanish Cortes, writer, social critic, publicist, essayist, anthropologist, historian, and one of the most notable Cuban figures from the nineteenth century. ...

and Nicholas Azcarate to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Morales Lemus sought to negotiate their positions on the Spanish colonial administration of the colonies. The delegation pushed for economic and political reforms as well as the abolition of slavery. On April 27, 1867, the Cuban delegation's hearings concluded with the Ministry of Overseas () rejecting all reform proposals and subsequently imposing a higher tax. When the talks did not produce the desired outcomes, he decided to join 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 ...

, Cuba's first

war of independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

against Spain in 1868. Morales Lemus was a founding member of the Revolutionary Committee of Havana along with

Miguel Aldama Miguel Aldama (October 4, 1821 - March 5, 1888) was a Cuba, Cuban revolutionary, merchant, and politician. Early life Miguel de Aldama y Alfonso was born in Havana, Spanish Cuba on October 4, 1821. He was born to Domingo Aldama y Arrechaga and Ro ...

, Antonio Fernández Bramosio, José Manuel Mestre, and José Antonio Echeverría. Upon fleeing Cuba in 1869, he was appointed president of the

Cuban Junta The Cuban Junta was a group of Cuban nationalists that advocated for Cuban independence before and during the Spanish-American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898). The Junta was primarily made up of naturalized Cubans located in the United States. ...

in New York. In the United States, the junta handled the financial and business affairs of the Republic of Cuba in Arms. When the government was formed on April 10, 1869, Morales Lemus was assigned to the

Diplomatic corps The diplomatic corps () is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission ( ambassadors, high commis ...

of the Republic of Cuba in Arms. At Berrocal in

Artemisa Artemisa () is a municipality and city in Cuba, formerly part of La Habana Province. According to a law approved by the Cuban National Assembly in August 2010, Artemisa became the capital city of the newly formed Artemisa Province, which compri ...

, Morales Lemus was appointed as

Envoy extraordinary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

and

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the United States by President

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (18 April 1819, Bayamo, Spanish Cuba – 27 February 1874, San Lorenzo, Spanish Cuba) was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owne ...

. On April 15, 1869, Captain General

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 ...

ordered an

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 ...

on the property of Morales Lemus and 15 others, including Nestor Ponce de Leon and José María Mora, for aiding the

insurrection Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

Morales Lemus, Col. William A.C. Ryan, and others were indicted on April 16, 1869, by the

Federal Grand Jury Grand juries in the United States are groups of citizens empowered by United States federal or state law to conduct legal proceedings, chiefly investigating potential criminal conduct and determining whether criminal charges should be brought. ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of the State of New York. Two of these are in New York Ci ...

for violating the Neutrality Act of 1818 by initiating a military expedition in Cuba on May 1, 1869. Receiving news of the indictment and arrest warrant, Morales Lemus turned himself in and was released on bail. When the Junta issued a 100-

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...

bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Fidelity bond, a type of insurance policy for employers * Chemical bond, t ...

on June 1, 1869, to fund the Cuban uprising against Spanish colonial rule, it was signed by Morales Lemus. The Spanish colonial government seized the stocks, bonds, and securities by the close of 1870.

Death

José Morales Lemus died on June 28, 1870, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

.Piñeyro, E., Ripoll, C. (1970). Morales Lemus y la revolución de Cuba. United States: Unión de Cubanos en el Exilio.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemus, Jose Morales 1808 births 1870 deaths Cuban revolutionaries People of the Ten Years' War People from Holguín Province