Emilio Prud'Homme y Maduro (August 20, 1856- July 21, 1932) was a Dominican lawyer, writer, and educator. Prud'Homme is known for having authored the lyrics of the

Dominican national anthem The national anthem of the Dominican Republic ( es, Himno nacional de República Dominicana), also known by its incipit Valiant Quisqueyans ( es, Quisqueyanos valientes), was composed by José Rufino Reyes y Siancas (1835–1905), and its lyrics ...

. He is also attributed with helping establish a national identity, for what was at the time a nascent republic.

Biography

Emilio Prud'Homme was born in Puerto Plata,

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 with ...

on August 20, 1856, to Ana Maduro and Gen. Pedro Prud'Homme. He had a brother, Lorenzo Fenelón Prud'Homme. Prud'Homme excelled in teaching, an activity to which he devoted most of his life. He was a great collaborator and disciple of

Eugenio María de Hostos Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903), known as "''El Gran Ciudadano de las Américas''" ("The Great Citizen of the Americas"), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, an ...

and taught at "Perserevancia of Azua" and also in the "Liceo Dominicano" in 1892 and was director of the "

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

", a teaching college founded by Hostos in 1880. He married Manuela Batista on August 19, 1880, and had one daughter: Ana Emilia Prud'Homme.

Politics

Prud'Homme was a

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

in the Congress of the Dominican Republic. He served as the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic in 1900 and 1901. He also served as the Secretary of Justice and Social Instruction in the administration of Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal. Prud’Homme was publicly critical of the United States occupation and as a result was forced to resign his teaching post. As a result, he pursued a career as a lawyer.

Writing career

Most of his literary works were directed to the exaltation of patriotic values, respect and love for the defense of sovereignty and national independence. His

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

being the

Dominican National Anthem The national anthem of the Dominican Republic ( es, Himno nacional de República Dominicana), also known by its incipit Valiant Quisqueyans ( es, Quisqueyanos valientes), was composed by José Rufino Reyes y Siancas (1835–1905), and its lyrics ...

, which was written in 1883, with music by José Rufino Reyes y Siancas. He later modified his work in 1897, when it began to be used at official state functions. Yet, it was not officially the National Anthem until 1934, when then dictator

Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

consecrated it as a national symbol and made mandatory its use at state and public functions.

Bibliography

* "El 16 de agosto" ("The 16th of August") * "A la juventud dominicana" ("To the Dominican youth") * "A mi Patria" ("To my homeland") * "Déjame soñar" ("Let me dream") * "Mi tierra mía" ("My land mine") * " Himno Nacional Dominicano" * "Gloria a la idea" ("Glory be to the idea") * "Contra hibridismo" ("Against hybridism") * "A Bolívar" ("To Bolívar") * "Canto a América" ("Song of America")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prudhomme, Emilio 1856 births 1932 deaths 20th-century Dominican Republic lawyers Dominican Republic politicians Dominican Republic male writers Dominican Republic people of French descent National anthem writers People from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic White Dominicans