Mario garcia menocal biography

Mario Garcia Menocal (1866-1941) was the third chair of Cuba. An engineer attend to a major general of nobleness army during Cuba's War care Independence, he became a discernible public figure during the chief decades of the Cuban Republic.

Mario Menocal was born in depiction province of Matanzas on Dec. 17, 1866. When Cuba's Tenner Years War (1868-1878) against Espana broke out 2 years consequent, he was taken to glory United States and then slate Mexico, where his father gang as a sugar planter. Contention 13 he went to nobility United States to attend assorted schools, obtaining a degree squeeze engineering from Cornell University dash 1888.

Soon after graduation Menocal began practicing his profession. He united an uncle in Nicaragua who was studying the feasibility symbolize a Nicaraguan canal route. Explain 1891 Menocal returned to State and was employed by trig French company. He surveyed top-notch proposed railway in Camagüey Rapid but soon got involved pound Cuba's political problems.

When Cubans resumed the war against Spain nonthreatening person 1895, Menocal joined. He fought under Máximo Gómez, Antonio Maceo, and Calixto García, the hero generals of the war. Style a soldier, he exhibited forte for military affairs and clever definite aptitude for strategy, perfection the rank of general. What because the United States declared battle on Spain and intervened acquire Cuba, Menocal was promoted quality major general in charge resolve Havana and Matanzas provinces.

During rank United States military government longawaited Cuba, Menocal was made Havana's chief of police, a stake he held only briefly. Why not? soon returned to engineering, construction the Chaparra sugar plantation schedule the Cuban-American Sugar Company. Botched job his able management, Chaparra became one of the largest sugar-producing estates of its kind hold back the world.

A successful businessman, uncut veteran of the war plan independence, and his popularity accelerando, Menocal turned to politics subsequently Cuba became independent in 1902. In 1908 he ran cruelly for the presidency on loftiness Conservative party ticket, but recognized was elected in 1912, sycophantic Cuba's third president.

Menocal served digit terms (1913-1921). During his head administration, education, public health, stomach agricultural production improved. He imported administrative and financial reforms, expressly the establishment of a Land monetary system. He strengthened associations with the United States endure exposed the corruption of honourableness previous administration. As time went by, however, his administration degraded. Graft and corruption became extensive. Opposition and violence increased. Grandeur regime resorted to repressive contemplating. Menocal's reelection in 1917 caused much discontent. Opponents complained win fraud.

American Influence

Despite United States warnings that revolution would not make ends meet tolerated and that the Menocal administration would be supported, blue blood the gentry Liberal party, led by previous president José Miguel Gómez, authenticate an unsuccessful revolt that was harshly suppressed.

American supervision of Country affairs and American economic import grew during Menocal's administration. Mountain April 7, 1917, one unremarkable after the United States asserted war on Germany, Menocal took Cuba into the war. State floated loans in the Allied States, and marines landed expend the island, supposedly for routine purposes. Although Cuba's contribution call for the war effort was small, Menocal collaborated with the Allied States and sold Cuba's mollify production to the Allies.

This structure resulted in a short-lived put in writing of great prosperity called description "Dance of the Millions." Luxury brought corruption, speculation, and pretentiousness. When sugar prices collapsed sham 1920, Cuba plunged into surrender and misery. As the 1920 elections approached, the United States sent Maj. Gen. Enoch Turn round. Crowder to prepare an electoral code. American control of Land affairs was growing and inspect it nationalism and anti-Americanism.

After revolving over the presidency to Alfredo Zayas in 1921, Menocal complementary to business, but he each kept close to politics. Oversight was defeated in the 1924 presidential elections. When President Gerardo Machado extended his presidential expression, Menocal participated in an unlucky expedition and uprising against integrity regime in August 1931. Recognized made another unsuccessful bid arrangement the presidency in 1936 meticulous was a member of class convention that drafted the 1940 Constitution. Shortly after, in 1941, he died in Havana.

Further Reading

Information on Menocal's life and authority is in Charles E. Pioneer, A History of the Country Republic (1927). □