Mario García Menocal
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| Mario García Menocal | |
 Mario García Menocal, c.1912 |
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| In office 20 May 1913 – 20 May 1921 |
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| Vice President | Enrique Jose Varona and Emilio Nunez Rodriguez |
| Preceded by | Jose Miguel Gomez |
| Succeeded by | Alfredo Zayas |
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| Born | 12 December 1866 Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, Cuba |
| Died | 7 September 1941 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Nationality |  Cuban |
| Political party | Conservative Party |
| Spouse | Mariana Seva |
| Children | Mario, Raul, and Georgina Garcia-Menocal Seva |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Mario García Menocal (December 17, 1866 in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, Cuba - September 7, 1941 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba) was a Cuban politician, who served as the third President of Cuba from 1913 to 1921.
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[edit] Youth
Garcia Menocal was thirteen when he was sent to boarding schools in the United States, first at the Institute of Chappaqua in New York, and later at the Maryland College of Agriculture. In 1884, he then went to Cornell University where he graduated in 1888 from the School of Engineering.
While in college, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, from Cornell University (Delta Chi Chapter). After his time in office, Menocal hosted his fraternity brothers to the first international fraternity conference outside the US, which took place in Cuba. He treated his brothers there with a fabulous time and there was much press coverage.
As a young man he was involved in Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. When Cuba did receive independence following the Spanish-American War Menocal became a leading conservative politician.
[edit] Time in Office
Mario García Menocal was elected President in 1912 and became known for his strong support of business and corporations, which was criticized by many. He was reelected in 1916, though the election was challenged by the liberals. In perhaps his most notable action, Menocal authorized Cuba's declaration of war against Germany on April 7, 1917, entering World War I a day after the United States. This was believed by many to be an attempt to get the United States to give more support to his government.
His two terms as president were noted for the rampant growth of corruption and graft that are to be expected with the initial development of a liberal democracy. The lack of mature institutions and a well-developed civil society created a gap which he clearly abused.
[edit] Later Life
After his presidency, Menocal continued to be involved in politics, running for President again in 1924. He attempted a revolution in 1931, and went into exile in the United States when it failed. After less than five years he returned to Cuba and ran for President a final time in 1936.
[edit] Family
Garcia Menocal was married to Mariana Seva and they had three children, Mario (who married Hortensia Almagro), Raul (who married Perlita Fowler) and Georgina Garcia Menocal y Seva (who married Eugenio Sardina).
[edit] References
- Otero, Juan Joaquin (1954). Libro De Cuba, Una Enciclopedia Ilustrada Que Abarca Las Artes, Las Letras, Las Ciencias, La Economia, La Politica, La Historia, La Docencia, Y ElProgreso General De La Nacion Cubana - Edicion Conmemorative del Cincuentenario de la Republica de Cuba, 1902-1952. (Spanish)
| Preceded by José Miguel Gómez |
President of Cuba 1913–1921 |
Succeeded by Alfredo Zayas |
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[edit] References
- Argote-Freyre, Frank (2006). Fulgencio Batista: From Revolutionary to Strongman. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813537016. OCLC 59223855.
