Tomás Estrada Palma
| Tomás Estrada Palma | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Cuba | |
|
In office 20 May 1902 – 28 September 1906 |
|
| Vice President | Luis Estévez Romero and Domingo Méndez Capote |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | José Miguel Gómez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Tomás Estrada Palma July 9, 1835 Bayamo, Spanish Cuba |
| Died | November 4, 1908 (aged 73) Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Nationality |
 Cuban
|
| Political party |
Cuban Revolutionary Party (1892–1902) Republican Party of Havana (1902–1906) |
| Spouse(s) | Genoveva Guardiola Arbizu |
| Children | Jose M. Estrada-Palma Guardiola |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Tomás Estrada Palma (July 9, 1835 – November 4, 1908) was a Cuban political figure. He served as the first President of Cuba between 1902 and 1906.
Tomás Estrada Palma became president of the Cuban Republic in Arms during the Ten Years' War.
Estrada Palma was captured by Spanish troops and sent into exile. While in exile, he traveled to New York where he worked with José Martí.
After Martí's death, Estrada Palma became the new leader of the Cuban Revolutionary Party.
When the revolutionaries established a Government in arms, Estrada Palma was sent to Washington as its diplomat. With the help of an American banker, he tried offering Spain $150 million to give up the island, a plan that failed.
He was, however, successful in getting the US Congress to pass the Joint Resolution. This bill was one of the factors that led the United States to declare war on Spain, demanding that Cuba be freed from Spanish colonial rule. (see Spanish–American War)
After a few years of General Leonard Wood's rule in Cuba, elections were to be held. The Republican Liberals, headed by José Miguel Gómez, and the National Liberals, headed by Alfredo Zayas, both supported Estrada Palma. He did not campaign though, staying the full-time in the U.S., where he was a citizen.
Palma's opponent, General Bartolomé Masó withdrew his candidacy in protest against favoritism by the occupational government and the manipulation of the political machine by Estada Palma's followers. Thus Estrada Palma was left as the only candidate. On December 31, 1901, Estrada Palma was elected President. His politics have been likened to those of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
American troops left after the Cuban government signed a bill lowering tariffs on American products and incorporated the Platt Amendment into their constitution. Many American companies came to do business in Cuba.
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Wikipedia