Federico Laredo Brú
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| Federico Laredo Brú | |
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13th President of Cuba
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| In office December 24, 1936 – October 10, 1940 |
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| Preceded by | Miguel M. Gómez |
| Succeeded by | Fulgencio Batista |
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| Born | April 23, 1875 Remedios, Cuba |
| Died | July 1946 Havana, Cuba |
Dr. Federico Laredo Brú (Remedios, Las Villas, Cuba on April 23,1875 – July 1946 in Havana, Cuba) was an attorney and served as the 13th President of Cuba from 1936 to 1940. He was married to Leonor Montes.
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[edit] Rise to power
Brú's rise to power began in January 1936 as Vice President. When Miguel Mariano Gomez, son of former president José Miguel Gómez won the presidential election, strongman Fulgencio Batista, engineered the impeachment of Gomez in December 1936 for having vetoed a bill to create rural schools under army control. Federico Laredo Bru served the concluding years of Gomez' term leading the way for an ambitious Batista.[1]
[edit] Social and economic programs
Under Federico Laredo Brú, amnesties were granted including to the former dictator Gerardo Machado and the the Cuban Congress passed many social welfare measures as well as laws creating pensions, insurance, minimum wages, and limited working hours.
In 1937 Brú pushed for the passage of the Law of Sugar Coordination which organized small farmers into cooperatives and unionized agricultural workers, guaranteed tenant farmers a share of their crop and were not to be deprived of their fields if they worked them.
Brú also issued a decree that stated all businesses should be headed by Cuban nationals. Workers unionized, particularly into the Confederation of Cuban Workers, a union in which Communists had substantial influence.[2]
[edit] Cuban-U.S. relations
Though the United States had been a dominant force in Cuban politics since 1898 causing anti-American sentiment among the educated, the U.S. presence was lessened under Brú.
[edit] SS St. Louis
On May 13, 1939, the ocean liner SS St. Louis had stopped off the coast of Cuba after leaving Hamburg, Germany. The ship was then refused asylum by Federico Laredo Brú. This prompted a near mutiny. Two people attempted suicide and dozens more threatened to do the same. However, 29 of the refugees were able to disembark at Havana.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Time Magazine: Spring fever
- ^ Historical Text Archive: Cuba 1934-1952
- ^ Rosen, Robert (2006). Saving the Jews: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Holocaust. New York, NY: Thunder's Mouth Press, 563. ISBN 1-56025-778-4.
- 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 Miguel Mariano Gómez 1936-05-20 – 1936-12-24 |
President of Cuba 1936-12-24 – 1940-10-10 |
Succeeded by Fulgencio Batista 1940-10-10 – 1944-10-10 |
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