José Miguel Gómez y Gómez (1858-1921)

President of Cuba, 1909-1913.  Born in Sancti Spiritus, he was barely out of school when he joined the rebels in the Ten Years’ War and subsequent Guerra Chiquita.  During the Independence War, 1895-1898 he fought in numerous engagements without ever being defeated and ended a major general.  Afterwards he became governor of his native Las Villas province and a legislator.  Adopted as presidential candidate of the Partido Liberal, he was defeated in 1905, but successful in 1908.  As president, he reorganized the army, built railroads, expanded the public school system, and reintroduced legal forms of gambling.  He lost his party’s nomination for the election of 1912 and (perhaps for this reason) handed over power to the Conservative, Menocal, with good grace.  The next election of 1917, however, was clearly fraudulent and he joined his old rival (and vice-president) Zayas in the Chambelona revolt.  He landed on February 10 to take command of several thousand insurgents in Santa Clara but was defeated and captured at Caicaje.  Soon after his release by the amnesty Act of March 19, 1918, he retired to the United States, where he died, but with Zayas then president, he was buried in Havana with full honors.