Carlos Prío Socarrás
Encyclopedia
Carlos Prío Socarrás was the President of Cuba
from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup
led by Fulgencio Batista
on March 10, 1952, three months before new elections were to be held.
when fellow Partido Auténtico
member Ramón Grau became president. During the Grau administration he served turns as Minister of Public Works, Minister of Labor and Prime Minister. On July 1, 1948 he was elected president of Cuba as a member of the Partido Auténtico. In 1948, Carlos Prio was assisted by Chief of the Armed Forces General Genobebo Pérez Dámera and Colonel José Luis Chinea, who had previously been in charge of the Province of Santa Clara.
The eight years under Grau and Prío, were, according to Charles Ameringer,
Prío, called El presidente cordial ("The Cordial President"), was committed to a rule marked by civility, primarily in its respect for freedom of expression. Several public works projects and the establishment of a National Bank and Tribunal of Accounts count among his succeesses.
However, violence among political factions and reports of theft and self-enrichment in the government ranks marred Prío's term. The Prío administration increasingly came to be perceived by the public as ineffectual in the face of violence and corruption, much as the Grau administration before it.
With elections scheduled for the middle of 1952, rumors surfaced of a planned military coup by long-shot presidential contender Fulgencio Batista
. Prío, seeing no constitutional basis to act, did not do so. The rumors proved to be true. On March 10, 1952, Batista
and his collaborators seized military and police commands throughout the country and occupied major radio and TV stations. Batista
assumed power when Prío, failing to mount a resistance, boarded a plane and went into exile.
According to Arthur M. Schlesinger, Prío later said of his presidency,
(October 5, 1924 – September 23, 2010) on 17 June 1945 in the Chapel of the Presidential Palace
, and they had two daughters, Maria Antonetta Prío-Tarrero (b. 14 June 1946 in Cuba and married to Cesar Odio, former City Manager of the City of Miami
) and Maria Elena Prío-Tarrero (b. 30 March 1949 in Cuba, divorced from Alfredo Duran
). He also had two "recognized" children with his former mistress, Celia Rosa Touzet (b. 18 July 1929): Carlos Prio-Touzet
(b. 5 February 1955 in Havana) and Rodolfo Prio-Touzet (b. 12 June 1959). His oldest son, Carlos Prio-Touzet
, is an architect of some prominence.
He spent his final years as a developer and businessman in Miami. Prío committed suicide by gunshot in 1977. He and his wife Mary are buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, Florida.
in Miami Lakes, Florida. Other great-nephews residing in Miami include: Gustavo Socarras, Jesus Gustavo Socarras, Fabian Socarras, and Andrew Socarras.
President of Cuba
--209.174.31.28 18:43, 22 November 2011 The President of Cuba is the Head of state of Cuba. According to the Cuban Constitution of 1976, the President is the chief executive of the Council of State of Cuba...
from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
led by Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
on March 10, 1952, three months before new elections were to be held.
Governance
In 1940 he was elected senator of Pinar del Río ProvincePinar del Río Province
Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba.-Geography:The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, divided into the easterly Sierra del Rosario and...
when fellow Partido Auténtico
Partido Auténtico
The Partido Auténtico was a political party in Cuba most active between 1933 to 1952...
member Ramón Grau became president. During the Grau administration he served turns as Minister of Public Works, Minister of Labor and Prime Minister. On July 1, 1948 he was elected president of Cuba as a member of the Partido Auténtico. In 1948, Carlos Prio was assisted by Chief of the Armed Forces General Genobebo Pérez Dámera and Colonel José Luis Chinea, who had previously been in charge of the Province of Santa Clara.
The eight years under Grau and Prío, were, according to Charles Ameringer,
[...] unique in Cuban history. They were a time of constitutional order and political freedom. They were not 'golden years' by any means, but in two elections (1944 and 1948), Cubans has the opportunity to express their desire for a rule of civil liberties, primacy of Cuban culture, and achievement of economic independence. If there were sharp contradictions in Cuban society under the Autenticos, the circumstances differed only in degree from the complexities and dynamics encountered in free societies everywhere (how often did Cubans compare Havana with Chicago?).
Prío, called El presidente cordial ("The Cordial President"), was committed to a rule marked by civility, primarily in its respect for freedom of expression. Several public works projects and the establishment of a National Bank and Tribunal of Accounts count among his succeesses.
However, violence among political factions and reports of theft and self-enrichment in the government ranks marred Prío's term. The Prío administration increasingly came to be perceived by the public as ineffectual in the face of violence and corruption, much as the Grau administration before it.
With elections scheduled for the middle of 1952, rumors surfaced of a planned military coup by long-shot presidential contender Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
. Prío, seeing no constitutional basis to act, did not do so. The rumors proved to be true. On March 10, 1952, Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
and his collaborators seized military and police commands throughout the country and occupied major radio and TV stations. Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
assumed power when Prío, failing to mount a resistance, boarded a plane and went into exile.
According to Arthur M. Schlesinger, Prío later said of his presidency,
They say that I was a terrible president of Cuba. That may be true. But I was the best president Cuba ever had.
Personal life
He first married Gina Karel and they had one daughter, Rocio Guadalupe Prío-Socarrás-Karell. He then married María Dolores "Mary" Tarrero-SerranoMaría Dolores "Mary" Tarrero-Serrano
María Dolores "Mary" Tarrero-Serrano de Prio was the First Lady of Cuba from 1948 - 1952...
(October 5, 1924 – September 23, 2010) on 17 June 1945 in the Chapel of the Presidential Palace
Museum of the Revolution
The Museum of the Revolution is a museum located in the Old Havana section of Havana, Cuba. The museum is housed in what was the Presidential Palace of all Cuban presidents from Mario García Menocal to Fulgencio Batista...
, and they had two daughters, Maria Antonetta Prío-Tarrero (b. 14 June 1946 in Cuba and married to Cesar Odio, former City Manager of the City of Miami
City of Miami
This article is about the streamliner. For the city in Florida, see Miami.The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago to Miami a total distance of ....
) and Maria Elena Prío-Tarrero (b. 30 March 1949 in Cuba, divorced from Alfredo Duran
Alfredo Duran
Alfredo Gonzalez Durán is a Cuban-born lawyer and an advocate for dialogue as a way to bring regime change in Cuba. His views are considered controversial in some parts of the Cuban exile community in Miami.-U.S.-Cuban Relations:...
). He also had two "recognized" children with his former mistress, Celia Rosa Touzet (b. 18 July 1929): Carlos Prio-Touzet
Carlos Prio-Touzet
Carlos Prio-Touzet , is a prominent architect in Miami, Florida.He received a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami. He has been a top designer and vice president for such firms as ADD Inc, Arquitectonica, Sasaki, and Spillis Candela...
(b. 5 February 1955 in Havana) and Rodolfo Prio-Touzet (b. 12 June 1959). His oldest son, Carlos Prio-Touzet
Carlos Prio-Touzet
Carlos Prio-Touzet , is a prominent architect in Miami, Florida.He received a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami. He has been a top designer and vice president for such firms as ADD Inc, Arquitectonica, Sasaki, and Spillis Candela...
, is an architect of some prominence.
He spent his final years as a developer and businessman in Miami. Prío committed suicide by gunshot in 1977. He and his wife Mary are buried at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, Florida.
Descendants
His Great-Nephew, Joseph Ryan Socarrás, is an alumnus of Dade Christian SchoolDade Christian School
Dade Christian School is a private school located in Country Club, Florida and operated by New Testament Baptist Church. DCS has a 2011-2012 enrollment of 793. In 2008, it was the second largest private school in Miami-Dade. The school was named a Blue Ribbon School in 1984...
in Miami Lakes, Florida. Other great-nephews residing in Miami include: Gustavo Socarras, Jesus Gustavo Socarras, Fabian Socarras, and Andrew Socarras.
Further reading
(Spanish)- Anuario Social de la Habana 1939, (Luz – Hilo S.A.)
- Libro de Oro de la Sociedad Habanera, (Editorial Lex, 1950)
- / Time magazine, February 24, 1947
- / Time magazine, June 14, 1948
- / Time magazine, April 18, 1977
- Un Presidente Cordial:Carlos Prio Socarras, 1927–1964,by Mario Riera Hernandez,,Ediciones Universal,Miami 1970.
- "En Defensa Del Autenticismo" – Aracelio Azcuy Y Cruz, Julio 1950, La Habana, P. Fernandez Y Cia.