Buenaventura Báez

Buenaventura Báez, born on July fourteenth, eighteen twelve, in Rincón, now known as Cabral, emerged from a wealthy family and received an education in France. This early exposure to a higher standard of learning enabled him to establish a political career at a young age, leading to his appointment as a deputy in the Haitian Congress in eighteen forty-three during the Reform Revolution. His political ambitions were marked by a desire to secure a protectorate for the Dominican Republic from foreign powers.

Following the country's independence from Haiti in eighteen forty-four, Báez served as president of the Dominican Republic on five separate occasions. His tenure was marked by significant achievements, including the establishment of the first secondary school, Colegio San Buenaventura. However, his rule was also characterized by dictatorial practices, political manipulation, and a focus on personal enrichment.

In eighteen sixty-one, Báez opposed the annexation of the Dominican Republic to Spain, primarily due to his rivalry with Pedro Santana, the proponent of the annexation. Despite this opposition, he later accepted the rank of marshal in the Spanish Army, aiming for the governorship of the newly annexed territory, a goal he ultimately did not achieve. After the Dominican Restoration War, the nation regained its independence.

In the late eighteen sixties, Báez sought to negotiate another annexation with the United States under President Ulysses S. Grant. However, this initiative faced strong opposition from figures like Gregorio Luperón and José María Cabral, and was ultimately rejected by the United States Congress, despite a plebiscite supporting the measure. Following his political decline in the late eighteen seventies, Báez passed away in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, in eighteen eighty-four. His remains were repatriated in nineteen fourteen during the administration of his son, Ramón Báez.