Andrés Rivero Agüero (4 February 1905 – 8 November 1996) was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

politician who served as the 12th

Prime Minister of Cuba The Prime Minister of Cuba ( es, Primer Ministro de Cuba), officially known as the President of the Council of Ministers ( es, Presidente del Consejo de Ministros de Cuba) between 1976 and 2019, is the head of government The head of gov ...

and was elected

president of Cuba The president of Cuba ( es, Presidente de Cuba), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba ( es, Presidente de la República de Cuba), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was established under the Constitution of ...

in the 1958 Cuban presidential election.

Early life

Rivero was born to extremely poor parents in San Luis,

Oriente Province Oriente (, "East") was the easternmost province of Cuba until 1976. The term "Oriente" is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country, which currently is divided into five different provinces. Fidel and Raúl Castro were born in a sm ...

(now

Santiago de Cuba Province Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center. Other large cities include Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, San Luis and Songo-la Maya. Hi ...

) on 4 February 1905. He taught himself to read when he was 16. Rivero managed to secure a high school education by his own efforts, and obtained a law degree from

Havana University The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...

(1934). Elected a city councilman in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, he quickly became a leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, and was befriended by

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

. During Batista's first administration (1940–1944), Rivero served as Minister of

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, and implemented Batista's plan for resettling landless peasants in

. During General Batista's exile in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 1944–1952, Rivero practised

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

in Cuba and wrote political commentary for several periodicals. When

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also ...

returned to run for President of Cuba in 1952, Rivero helped to organise Batista's United Action Party. He supported Batista's military coup on 10 March 1952, and thereafter served as Minister of

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

in Batista's second administration (1952–1958). Elected a Senator from

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...

province in 1954, Rivero became Cuba's

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

(1957–1958), and participated in several reconciliation conferences as Batista's representative. Rivero resigned his premiership in 1958 to run for President of Cuba. He received the support of Batista's

Progressive Action Party The Progressive Action Party ( es, Partido de Acción Progresista, PAP) was a Cuban political party led by Fulgencio Batista. The party was founded on 1 April 1949, in the aftermath of the 1948 general elections, under the name of Unitary Action ...

, and three other pro-government parties. Rivero was declared the winner of the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

, which were speculated by many to have been rigged with the support of the United States government in an effort to repel the ongoing Cuban revolution. Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p217 After the election, Rivero entered into conversations with U.S. Ambassador Earl E. T. Smith, and with leading Cuban politicians, to resolve the crisis caused by the ongoing

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

led by

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

. He apparently wished to convene a

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

shortly after taking office, to bring about a restoration of constitutional rule. However, the success of the revolution frustrated Rivero's plans, and he fled with General Batista into exile in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

on 1 January 1959. Rivero eventually settled in the

, living in extremely modest circumstances. He lived to be a great-grandfather. Rivero died in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

in 1996.

References

External links

Despatch From the US Embassy in Cuba to the US Department of State 1958
Elections: Electoral Outlook Six Weeks Prior to Elections {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivero Aguero, Andres Cuban senators Prime Ministers of Cuba 1905 births 1996 deaths Liberal Party of Cuba politicians People from Santiago de Cuba Province Cuban people of Spanish descent People of the Cuban Revolution 1950s in Cuba 20th-century Cuban lawyers 20th-century Cuban politicians Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany