Juan Rius Rivera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General Juan Rius Rivera (1848-1924) born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, became the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Liberation Army of the West upon the death of General Antonio Maceo.
Rius was born into a wealthy family of the town of Mayaguez, located on the west coast of Puerto Rico. There he received both his primary and secondary education. As a young man he met and befriended the Puerto Rican patriot Ramon Emeterio Betances. Convinced that the Spanish Crown was mistreating the people of Puerto Rico and inspired by the ideals of Betances, Rius joined the pro-independence movement in the island. He became a member of the Mayaguez revolutionary cell "Capá Prieto" under the command of Mathias Brugman.
On September 23, 1868, Rius participated in the failed revolt against Spain known as "El Grito de Lares. Many of the revolutionists were either killed or imprisoned, Rius being amongst the latter. In 1869, the incoming governor Jose Laureano Sanz, in an effort to ease tensions in the island, dictated a general amnesty and all of the political prisoners were released. Once released, Rius went to Cuba and participated in that country's Ten Years' War (1868-1878) against Spain. He was wounded in the Battle of Las Villas while fighting under the command of General Máximo Gómez. The Ten Years' War came to an end with the Treaty of Zanjon, giving Cuba more autonomous powers.
Rius did not agree with the treaty, and moved to New York City where he became involved with the Cuban Revolutionary Party headed by José Martí. The Spanish Crown did not keep its part of the treaty, and on February 24, 1895 insurgents rose against the Spaniards in the provinces of Oriente, Santa Clara and Matanzas in what became known as "El Grito de Baire". Rius joined the Cuban Liberation Army and was given the rank of General because of his military experience.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Liberation Army of the west, Gen. Antonio Maceo was wounded and surrounded in a place called "La Trocha". On September 1897, Gen Rius and his troops were sent aboard the schooner "Three Friends" to rescue Gen. Maceo. Gen. Rius was able to breakthrough the Spanish blockade and reach Gen. Maceo. On December 7, Gen. Maceo was engaged in a fierce fight against the troops of Spanish Major Cirujedas when he was killed. On December 20, Gen. Rius was promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief.
On March 28, 1897, Gen. Rius was engaged in a combat action in Cabezedas, when he was overpowered by Spanish General Hernandez Velasco. He and 100 of his men were captured and imprisoned. On February 15, 1898 the United States declared war against Spain in what is known as the Spanish-American War. On April 19, 1898, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution recognizing Cuba as a "free and independent" nation. Spain surrendered and on December 10, signed the Treaty of Paris, however, unlike Puerto Rico which became a territory, Cuba was granted its independence.
Gen. Rius and hundreds of other prisoners of war were released from prison and he became a national hero in Cuba. Due to his participation in both Cuban independence wars, Rius was, technically, one of only two foreigners who could, in theory, be permitted to become Presidents of Cuba, as per the Cuban constitution (the other one was Dominican-born Máximo Gómez had they desired to run for such office.
Gen. Rivera was soon active in the young nation's politics. Among the political positions which he held were:
- Civil Governor of the La Havana Province
- Secretary of Industry, Commerce and Labor
- Secretary Of the Treasury Department
- Vice President of the Assembly
- Secretary of the President of the Republic
To his honor, General Rius Rivera was one of the few members of the Cuban Assembly (legislature) who rejected the imposition of the Platt Amendment, which gave the United States the right to intervene unilaterally in Cuba as a precondition for independence in 1902.
Gen. Rius was representing Cuba at a conference held in Honduras in 1924 when he suddenly died of heart failure. His remains were returned to Cuba and he is buried in the Cuban Historical Cemetery, also known as La Reina Cemetery, located in the City of Cienfuegos, Cuba.
