The Franjul Family

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The Franjul family is a prominent and respected family in the Dominican Republic with strong political and economic influence. The family considers the city of Bani (Province of Peravia) as the epicenter of its Dominican heritage.

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[edit] Family Origins

The origins of the family can be traced to the region of Asturias, in northern Spain. Members of the family emigrated to the Dominican Republic in the 19th century, and settled in the small town of Bani, in the Dominican province of Peravia, west of the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. Dominican historians consistently argue about the Family's origins. Some have recently argued that the phonetics of the surname is one of Arab descent, which implies the family is one of Moorish descent. The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often also called "Moorish".

The first Dominican-born member of the family was Francisco Fanjul, whose father became a naturalized Dominican citizen after the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti in 1844. It was then when, because of a misunderstanding in pronunciation, the family name was mistakenly changed from "Fanjul" to "Franjul" in official census records of the time. Other members of the family settled in Cuba, and later fled to the United States after Fidel Castro took power in 1959. While family members in the Dominican Republic became the "Franjul" family, those who settled in Cuba remained as "Fanjul". Today most members of the Franjul family reside in the Dominican Republic, while Fanjuls reside in Palm Beach, Florida. The Fanjul family in Florida are owners of the Florida Crystals Corporation and Flo-Sun Inc. They are among the biggest individual contributors to both the Democratic and Republican parties in the US. Additionally, they are also owners of Central Romana, and Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.

The first family reunion between the "Franjuls" and "Fanjuls" took place in 1995 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Although the surname "Franjul" is also known to exist among families in the Balkans, no links have been proven to exist.

[edit] Prominent Family Members in the Dominican Republic

Miguel Franjul Author, and ex-editor-in-chief of Listin Diario, the largest and oldest Dominican newspaper.

Engracia Franjul de Abate, former top executive at Banco Popular. Former president of the Dominican-American Cultural Institute board of directors, member of ICDA executive committee, and FUNDAPEC board member (former president).

Rafael Franjul Troncoso,former member of Dominican Congress as Senator for the province of Peravia for the Dominican Reformist Christian Party (PRSC).

Claudia Franjul, Miss Dominican Republic 1994. Actress in "Savage Lust", and "Deadly Manor".

Dr. Manuel Diaz-Franjul, Chief negotatior of Free Trade Agreement between Dominican Republic and United States, known as DR-CAFTA.

Milciades Franjul Member of Dominican Lower Congressional Chamber for the province of Peravia for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).

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