Osvaldo Dorticós
| Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 16th President of Cuba | |
|
In office July 18, 1959 – December 2, 1976 |
|
| Prime Minister | Fidel Castro |
| Preceded by | Manuel Urrutia |
| Succeeded by | Fidel Castro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 17, 1919 Cienfuegos, Cuba |
| Died | June 23, 1983 (aged 64) Havana, Cuba |
| Political party | Communist Party of Cuba |
| Alma mater | University of Havana |
Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (April 17, 1919 – June 23, 1983) was a Cuban politician who served as the President of Cuba from 1959 until 1976.
Dorticós was born to a wealthy family in Cienfuegos, Las Villas Province, on April 17, 1919. His father was both a lawyer and a physician, and one of his ancestors was Tomas Terry, a famous Venezuelan-born entrepreneur of paternal Irish descent who amassed one of the largest fortunes in the Western Hemisphere ($25 million at the time of his death in 1886), who established the Thomas Terry Theatre in Cienfuegos. After working briefly as a teacher, Dorticós studied law and philosophy at the University of Havana, graduating with a law degree in 1941. He joined the Communist-controlled Popular Socialist Party, and acted for a time as secretary to Juan Marinello, the party's leader.
In the 1950s, Dorticós established a prosperous law practice in Cienfuegos, and served as Commodore of the Cienfuegos Yacht Club. He strongly opposed the government of Fulgencio Batista, and participated in the Civil Resistance Movement, supplying the rebel forces with arms and supplies. Dorticós was elected dean of the Cuban Bar Association in 1958 prior to being arrested by the Batista regime in the same year and being briefly exiled to Mexico.
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