Federico Laredo Brú
Encyclopedia
Dr. Federico Laredo Brú was an attorney and served as President of Cuba
from 1936 to 1940. He was married to Leonor Montes (1880-?).
, 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 Brú served the concluding years of Gomez' term leading the way for an ambitious Batista.
Gerardo Machado
and the Cuban Congress passed many social welfare measures as well as laws creating pensions, insurance
, minimum wage
s, and limited working hours.
In 1937 Brú pushed for the passage of the Law of Sugar Coordination which organized small farmer
s into cooperative
s and unionized agricultural workers, guaranteed tenant farmer
s 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.
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.
SS St. Louis
arrived, carrying 930 Jewish refugees from Hamburg, Germany fleeing Hitler's persecutions, and was refused permission to land by Brú. Cuban government-issued landing certificates held by the passengers had been invalidated by Brú's government during their transit. Two people attempted suicide and dozens more threatened to do the same. Ultimately, only 20-odd refugees were permitted to disembark at Havana and the ship, having likewise failed to enter the US, ultimately disembarked its remaining passengers in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from 1936 to 1940. He was married to Leonor Montes (1880-?).
Rise to power
Brú's rise to power began in January 1936 as Vice President. When Miguel Mariano GomezMiguel Mariano Gómez
Miguel Mariano Gómez y Arias , was a Cuban politician who served as President of Cuba for seven months in 1936....
, son of former president José Miguel Gómez
José Miguel Gómez
José Miguel Gómez y Gómez was a Cuban General in the Cuban War of Independence who went on to become President of Cuba.-Early career:...
won the presidential election, strongman 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....
, engineered the impeachment of Gomez in December 1936 for having vetoed a bill to create rural schools under army control. Federico Laredo Brú served the concluding years of Gomez' term leading the way for an ambitious Batista.
Social and economic programs
Under Federico Laredo Brú, amnesties were granted including to the former dictatorDictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
Gerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
and the Cuban Congress passed many social welfare measures as well as laws creating pensions, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
s, and limited working hours.
In 1937 Brú pushed for the passage of the Law of Sugar Coordination which organized small farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s into cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s and unionized agricultural workers, guaranteed tenant farmer
Tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
s a share of their crop and were not to be deprived of their fields if they worked them.
Brú also issued a decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
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.
Cuban-U.S. relations
Though the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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.
SS St. Louis
On May 27, 1939, the ocean linerOcean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
SS St. Louis
SS St. Louis
The MS St. Louis was a German ocean liner most notable for a single voyage in 1939, in which her captain, Gustav Schröder, tried to find homes for 937 German Jewish refugees after they were denied entry to Cuba. The event was the subject of a 1974 book, Voyage of the Damned, by Gordon Thomas and...
arrived, carrying 930 Jewish refugees from Hamburg, Germany fleeing Hitler's persecutions, and was refused permission to land by Brú. Cuban government-issued landing certificates held by the passengers had been invalidated by Brú's government during their transit. Two people attempted suicide and dozens more threatened to do the same. Ultimately, only 20-odd refugees were permitted to disembark at Havana and the ship, having likewise failed to enter the US, ultimately disembarked its remaining passengers in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.