Rafael Estrella Ureña
Rafael Estrella Ureña ( born November 10, 1889 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, † 1945) was a Dominican politician and president of the Dominican Republic.
Life
After his school education in his native city of Santiago de los Caballeros, he began studying law in Santo Domingo. There he came into contact with the student movement and was highly influenced by the ideas of the Puerto Rican writer and founder of the Escuela Normal, Eugenio María de Hostos. After the assassination of President Ramón Cáceres 1911 he went into opposition to the subsequent government of Eladio Victoria. Together with other opposition student he founded in opposition to President Victoria the Reformist Liberal Party ( Partido Liberal reform Ista ), whose chairman he was at the same time. In this position, he was one of the fiercest opponents of José Bordas Valdez after he became president in 1913. After several demonstrations led by him, he was arrested on the orders of Bordas.
After Estrella Ureña had retired several years out of politics, and in the meantime worked as a lawyer, he founded in 1925 the Republican Party ( Partido Republicano ), whose chairman he was then. In the reign of Horacio Vásquez he took over the office of the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction ( Ministro de Justicia e Instrucción Pública ), although he was not a supporter of the movement of the President ( Horacista ). Rather, he was in February 1930 one of the key persons of by him and the supreme commander of the armed forces, General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, listed uprising against President Vásquez.
As on March 2, 1930, only President Vásquez, but also Vice President Dr. José Dolores Alfonseca were forced to resign, Estrella Ureña took over as Minister of Justice due to constitutional provisions, the successor and became the president of the Dominican Republic. However, he was only de jure President, the real power lay with General Trujillo. Just a few months later he was replaced after the presidential election on 18 August 1930 by Trujillo as president.
He was elected Vice President. Two years later he declared during a trip abroad to Cuba his resignation from the office of vice president. In opposition to Trujillo began in the Cuban exile with the construction of an opposition movement. After he had been invited by the Cuban President Fulgencio Batista to curtail them, he went to Miami. There he finished his opposition after talks with Trujillo. As this promised him the continuation of the Republican Party, he returned to the Dominican Republic, where he began the reorganization of his party. As the Republican Party but again criticized against the dictator, let this Estrella Ureña detain for several months.
In his last years he was during the reign of Trujillo and the interim puppet governments of Jacinto Bienvenido Peynado and Manuel de Jesus Troncoso de la Concha Justice of the Supreme Court ( Corte Suprema de Justicia ). In 1945 he had to undergo surgery due to an illness in which he died. In subsequent unrest Trujillo was accused of having murdered him with the help of the operating doctors. Then the dictator ordered a three-day national mourning.
His great-niece was the wife of future President Salvador Jorge Blanco. In addition, he was godfather of actress Monica Boyar, who was married 1950-1956 with the U.S. actor Leslie Nielsen.