Porfirio Rubirosa
| Porfirio Rubirosa | |
|---|---|
Rubirosa with his final wife, Odile Rodin
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| Born |
Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza January 22, 1909 San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic |
| Died | July 5, 1965 (aged 56) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Diplomat, polo player, race car driver |
| Spouse(s) |
Flor de Oro Trujillo (m. 1932; div. 1938) Danielle Darrieux (m. 1942; div. 1947) Doris Duke (m. 1947; div. 1951) Barbara Hutton (m. 1953; div. 1954) Odile Rodin (m. 1956; div. 1965) |
| Parent(s) | Pedro María Rubirosa Ana Ariza Almanzar |
| Relatives |
Matías Ramón Mella Castillo (first cousin four times removed) Vincho Castillo (second cousin once removed) Pelegrín Castillo (third cousin) |
Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza (January 22, 1909 – July 5, 1965) was a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier and polo player. He was an adherent of the dictator Rafael Trujillo, and was also rumored to be a political assassin under his regime. Rubirosa made his mark as an international playboy for his jetsetting lifestyle and his legendary sexual prowess with women. Among his spouses were two of the richest women in the world.
Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza was born in San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic, the third and youngest child of an upper-middle-class family. His parents were Pedro María Rubirosa and Ana Ariza Almanzar. The eldest child was named Ana and the elder son was named César. His father, also a womanizer, was at one time a "general" of a group of heavily armed men in the mountainous Cibao region working with the government. Don Pedro advanced to become a diplomat, and after a stint at St. Thomas was made Chief of the Dominican Embassy to Paris in 1915. Rubirosa thus grew up in Paris, France and returned to the Dominican Republic at the age of 17 to study law. But he soon changed course and enlisted in the military.
Source: Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía
In 1931, Rubirosa met Rafael Trujillo at a country club. The "Benefactor" asked to see him the next morning, and made him a lieutenant of his Presidential Guard. Their relationship lasted throughout their lives, went up and down, mostly close, but not without episodes of danger for Rubirosa, and defined his professional career when he became a diplomat of the Dominican Republic in 1936.
In this role, he was sent to embassies, first at Berlin (during the 1936 Olympic Games) and soon to Paris, where he spent most of his time; he also served at the embassies at Vichy, Buenos Aires, Rome, Havana (witnessing the Cuban Revolution), and Brussels. He was a frequent visitor to New York, Washington, Florida, and California. "Rubi", who defined himself a Trujillista, moved freely among the rich and famous, made the connections, and kept the secrets. His 1938 divorce of Trujillo's daughter seemed, at least on the surface, to have little influence over his erstwhile father-in-law's affection for, or trust in, him. However, at times, when his escapades stirred up too much notoriety, Trujillo would dismiss him – as from his post in Paris in 1953 – or move him to another place. Trujillo recognized what an asset Rubirosa was for his regime, remarking: "He is good at his job, because women like him and he is a wonderful liar."
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Wikipedia