Francisco Ichaso Macías was a Cuban journalist, lawyer, and political thinker who played a significant role in Cuba’s intellectual and political landscape during the early and mid-20th century. He served as a member of the Havana City Council, and Director of the Press and Information Office. He was a member of the

Minorista Group The Minorista Group, or Retail Group (Spanish: Grupo Minorista), was an avant-garde group of Cuban artists, writers, philosophers, poets, and others collectively called the "vanguard of the intelligencia," active during the 1920s that had an enor ...

, and the President of PEN International's Cuba Club. He was also present at the

Protest of the Thirteen The Protest of the Thirteen (Spanish: Protesta de los Trece), which occurred on March 18, 1923, was a pivotal event in Cuban history, and was the first significant action of the newly established Cuban intellectual class against the government of ...

, the first major protest of the Cuban intellectual class since Cuban independence.

Early life and education

Born in Cienfuegos, Las Villas, Ichaso was the son of León Ichaso Díaz, a Basque writer and journalist, and Rafaela Macías Guerra, of

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

descent. He was the eldest of five children. His family relocated to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Diario de la Marina ''Diario de la Marina'' was a newspaper published in Cuba, founded by Don Araujo de Lira in 1839. ''Diario de la Marina'' was Cuba’s longest-running newspaper. Its roots went back to 1813 with ''El Lucero de la Habana'' (The Havana Star) and ...

'', one of Cuba's leading newspapers. Ichaso was educated at the Colegio de Belén and later earned a Doctorate in Law from the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

at the age of 21.

Career as a journalist

Ichaso began writing for ''

Diario de la Marina ''Diario de la Marina'' was a newspaper published in Cuba, founded by Don Araujo de Lira in 1839. ''Diario de la Marina'' was Cuba’s longest-running newspaper. Its roots went back to 1813 with ''El Lucero de la Habana'' (The Havana Star) and ...

'' in his youth, serving as a critic of theater, film, and music, as well as a political columnist. He contributed regularly to ''

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

'' and was a founding member of ''

Revista de Avance ''Revista de Avance'' ( Spanish: ''Advance Magazine'') was a Cuban avant-garde magazine which existed between 1927 and 1930 in Havana. It was the media outlet of a group, minorism, which had been established in 1923 to support social and politic ...

'' and the newspaper '' Denuncia''. During the 1920s, Ichaso was an active participant in Cuba’s intellectual movements. On May 18, 1923, he took part in the

, a demonstration against the administration of President Alfredo Zayas Alfonso, and was a signatory to the "Manifesto of the Group of Thirteen." Later, he was a member of the

, a collective that sought to address corruption and advocate for social change.

Political involvement

Ichaso co-founded the ABC political party alongside Joaquín Martínez Sáenz,

Jorge Mañach Robato Jorge is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name George. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese . It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios' ...

, and

Carlos Saladrigas Zayas Carlos Saladrigas Zayas (''Carlos Eduardo Ramón Saladrigas y Zayas''; October 13, 1900 – 15 April 1956) was a Cuban politician and diplomat. Career He was an abogado-notario who served as Senator (1936-1940), Minister of Justice (1934) ...

. The party was instrumental in opposing the government of President Gerardo Machado Morales. Following Machado’s downfall, Ichaso was appointed Director of the Press and Information Office of the Presidential Palace and later elected as a city councilor. In 1932, Ichaso was one of the members of the Cuban Artists and Writers, including

Ofelia Rodríguez Acosta Ofelia de la Concepción Rodríguez Acosta García (9 February 1902, in Pinar del Río – 28 June 1975, in Havana or Mexico) was a Cuban writer, journalist, radical feminist, and activist. She wrote feminist chronicles, stories, essays, novels, ...

, and Jorge Mañach, who urged the Governor of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

to stay the execution of the

Scottsboro Boys The Scottsboro Boys were nine African Americans, African American male teenagers accused of rape, raping two White American, white women in 1931. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with Racism in the United States, racism ...

. His advocacy for human rights was reflected in his 1937 book, ''Defensa del Hombre'', which examined the ideological tensions between democratic liberalism and totalitarian regimes. The work received the prestigious Justo de Lara Award. In 1939, Ichaso was elected as the ABC delegate for Havana to the 1940 Constituent Assembly. During the drafting of the new constitution, he maintained a moderate stance in the legislative debates.

Later career and exile

Ichaso had a prolific career in later life working for CMQ, where he was involved in radio and television programs such as '' La Universidad del Aire'' and '' Ante la Prensa''. He also taught at the

Manuel Márquez Sterling School of Journalism Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

and worked as a legal representative for the Association of Settlers of Cuba and the "Electricity Company." As a journalist, he received several of the main laurels of the guild in the republican period, including

Juan Gualberto Gómez Juan Gualberto Gómez Ferrer (July 12, 1854 – March 5, 1933) was a Cuban revolutionary leader in the Cuban War of Independence against Spain. He was a "close collaborator of Martí's," and alongside him helped plan the uprising an ...

Justo de Lara Justo () is a Spanish surname and male given name meaning ''just'', i.e. ''fair''. Given name Notable people with this given name include: * Justo Albarracín (born 1951), Argentine equestrian * Justo Almario (born 1949), Colombian musician * Just ...

and

José Ignacio Rivero José Ignacio Rivero y Hernández ("Pepinillo" Rivero) was a Cuban exile and journalist. He is the grandson of Don Nicolás Rivero y Muñiz, Nicolas Rivero, who in 1895 became the director of ''El Diario de la Marina, Diario de la Marina,'' then t ...

. In 1953, he served as Secretary of the Centenary Commission of

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

and was an executive producer for the film ''La Rosa Blanca''. From 1957 to 1959, he presided over the Cuban National Commission of UNESCO. Following the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

and the rise of

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

in 1959, Ichaso was accused of supporting the previous Batista government. He was imprisoned in Castillo del Príncipe for a year, during which he suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and experienced deteriorating health due to inadequate medical care. He was also suffering from the effects of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

that were not treated properly by the prison, and suffered inhumane treatment by the guards. Upon his release, he was placed under house arrest before seeking asylum at the Mexican Embassy. He left Cuba in the early 1960s and settled in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Despite his declining health, Ichaso continued his journalistic work until his death on October 28, 1962. His final editorial for '' El Excélsior de México'' was published posthumously, accompanied by an obituary recognizing his dedication to Cuba.

References

{{authority control 1901 births 1962 deaths Cuban journalists Cuban activists People from Cienfuegos University of Havana alumni