The Franjul Family
Encyclopedia
The Franjul family is a prominent and respected family in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
with strong political and economic influence in the southwest provinces of the country. The family considers the city of Baní
Baní
Baní is a capital town of the Peravia Province, Dominican Republic. It is the commercial and manufacturing center in a region producing bananas and coffee.- Overview :...
(Province of Peravia
Peravia
Peravia is a province of the Dominican Republic. Before January 1, 2002 it was included in what is the new San José de Ocoa province, and published statistics and maps generally relate it to the old, larger, Peravia. It is named after the Peravia Valley. Along the Azua Province, Peravia is...
) as the epicenter of its Dominican heritage.
Family Origins
The origins of the family can be traced to the region of AsturiasAsturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, in northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Members of the family emigrated to the Dominican Republic in the 19th century, and settled in the small town of Bani, in the Dominican province of Peravia, west of the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
. Dominican historians consistently argue about the Family's origins. Some have recently argued that the phonetics of the surname is one of Arab descent, which implies the family is one of Moorish descent. The Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
(the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
including the present day Spain and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) and the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
, whose culture is often also called "Moorish".
The first Dominican-born member of the family was Francisco Fanjul, whose father became a naturalized Dominican citizen after the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti in 1844. It was then when, because of a misunderstanding in pronunciation, the family name was mistakenly changed from "Fanjul" to "Franjul" in official census records of the time. Other members of the family settled in Cuba, and later fled to the United States after Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
took power in 1959. While family members in the Dominican Republic became the "Franjul" family, those who settled in Cuba remained as "Fanjul". Today most members of the Franjul family reside in the Dominican Republic.
The first family reunion between the "Franjuls" and "Fanjuls" took place in 1995 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Although the surname "Franjul" is also known to exist among families in the Balkans, no links have been proven to exist.
Prominent Family Members
Miguel Franjul, Chief Editor of Listin Diario, the largest and oldest Dominican newspaper. Current Vice-President of Inter-American Commission for the Free Press. Rumored to be the next Dominican Ambassador to the Vatican.Engracia Franjul de Abate, former top executive at Banco Popular. Current president of the Dominican-American Cultural Institute board of directors, member of ICDA executive committee, and FUNDAPEC board member (former president). Currently also a director of ADOPEM, a leading micro-lending institution.
Rafael Franjul Troncoso,former member of Dominican Congress as Senator for the province of Peravia for the Dominican Reformist Christian Party (PRSC). Former mayor of the city of Bani (1990-1994).
Claudia Franjul Gonzalez, Miss Dominican Republic 1994. Actress in "Savage Lust" and "Deadly Manor".
Dr. Manuel Diaz-Franjul, Chief negotiator of Free Trade Agreement between Dominican Republic and United States, known as DR-CAFTA. Special adviser for the Dominican embassy in Washington, D. C. and General Secretary of Dominican Commission for Price Controls.
Milciades Franjul, Member of Dominican Lower Congressional Chamber for the province of Peravia for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).
Dr. Marcos Peña Franjul, renowned ecologist and expert on natural resources. Former professor at UNPHU, and former adjunct professor at Cornell University. Author of "Los Franjul: Una Familia del Banilejismo", a genealogical book on the Franjul family, its history and its origins.
Nelson Franjul Montero, former mayor of the city of Bani (1959)
Luis Franjul Dume, former mayor of the city of Bani (1966)