Francisco Caamaño
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Francisco Caamaño | |
---|---|
Member of Revolutionary Committee of April 1965 in the Dominican Republic | |
In office May 4, 1965 – August 30, 1965 | |
Preceded by | Triumvirate |
Succeeded by | Héctor García-Godoy (interim) |
Personal details | |
Born | June 11, 1932 San Juan de la Maguana |
Died | February 16, 1973 (aged 40) San José de Ocoa |
Cause of death | Execution |
Nationality | Dominican |
Spouse | |
Relations | Danilo Medina (second-cousin) Lucía Medina (second-cousin) Claudio Caamaño Grullón (first cousin-once removed) Claudio Caamaño Vélez (first cousin-twice removed) |
Children | Alberto Alexander Francis Alexander Paola Alexandra |
Occupation | Soldier, politician |
Col. Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó (June 11, 1932 – February 16, 1973) was a Dominican soldier and politician who took the constitutional presidency of the Dominican Republic during the Civil War of 1965. During the war, which began on April 24, 1965, Caamaño was one of the leaders in the movement to restore the democratically elected President Dr. Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown in a military coup d'état in September 1963.
Caamaño was the son of General Fausto Caamaño Medina;[1][2] his father was cousin of Juan Pablo Medina de los Santos, the father of both former President Danilo Medina Sánchez and House Speaker Lucía Medina Sánchez.[3]
Early life
Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó was born on June 11, 1932, in
Caamaño's family is originally from San Juan de la Maguana, his military family tree includes other military personalities such as Pedro Plutarco Caamaño Medina (1889-1893) his uncle, and others such as Jorge Casimiro Fernández Medina, who was a prominent lieutenant colonel in the Dominican Army. Thanks to the influence of his accentuated military kinship, Francisco Alberto excelled in an efficient and careful vocation of service to the military institutions of his country, entering the Dominican Navy at a young age, where he graduated as Ensign and advanced rapidly in the military ladder. During the last years of the Trujillo Era, Caamaño commanded the White Helmeted Corps of the National Police.
Caamaño married María Paula Acevedo Guzmán, known as Chiquita, in 1958.[4] The couple had three children - Alberto Alexander, Francis Alexander and Paola Alexandra (born 1967).[4][5]
War of 1965
During the civil war that began on April 24, 1965, he was one of the leaders in the movement to restore the democratically elected President Dr.
As the Constitucionalistas successfully seized and held
Presidency
During this period, Caamaño was de facto and, arguably, de jure, President of the Dominican Republic. After a few months of fighting by the Constitucionalistas, who were outnumbered and outgunned by the combined forces, Caamaño and his men consented to a reconciliation agreement and thus ended the Constitucionalista government.
Facing ongoing threats and attacks during the following months, including a particularly violent attack at the Hotel Matum in Santiago de los Caballeros, Camaaño accepted an agreement brokered by the United States government. Both constitucionalista President Caamaño and his rival, loyalist President Antonio Imbert Barrera, resigned from office on August 30, 1965. They were succeeded by one provisional president, Héctor García-Godoy.
The Dominican Provisional President, Héctor García-Godoy, sent Colonel Caamaño as the Military Attache to the Dominican Embassy in the United Kingdom. While there, he was contacted by Cuban officials and he fled to Cuba to start a guerrilla group.[citation needed] He had a support group led by Amaury German Aristy that was expected to create the conditions for a victorious landing of Caamaño's commands in the Dominican Republic.[citation needed]
Death
During late 1973, after several years staying low-profile, Caamaño led the landing of a small group of rebels at Playa Caracoles, near
Some twenty years passed before Caamaño was officially honored by the Dominican government as a hero for his attempts to restore rightful government to his country. Today, there is an avenue in Santo Domingo that bears the name Presidente Caamaño (the avenue borders the western bank of the Ozama River harbor, near its outlet to the Caribbean sea). There is also a metro station in Santo Domingo named after him.
See also
References
- ^ "Biografia de Francisco Caamaño". Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Caamaño Deñó, un hombre que dejó hasta su familia por la patria". El Día. April 23, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Espinal, Edwin (August 24, 2012). "Genealogía paterna del presidente Danilo Medina" (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Hoy. Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "Muere María Paula Acevedo, viuda del coronel Caamaño". Listín Diario. 2021-01-08. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ Paulino, Altagracia (2021-04-23). "La primera dama de abril de 1965". Hoy (Dominican newspaper). Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "¡Necesitamos una nueva restauración!." Dominicano Libre Agosto / Septiembre 2006. Retrieved on August 9, 2007. Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Hamlet Hermann, Francis Caamaño (1983)
- Richard W. Mansbach, Dominican Crisis, 1965 (1971)