Brigadier General Luis Padial (February 6, 1832 – March 5, 1879), was a soldier, politician and one of the most important figures who was responsible for the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.

Early years

Padial, (birth name: Luis Padial y Vizcarrondo ), was born into a well-to-do family from San Juan, the capital city of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. He received his primary and secondary education in some of the city's best private schools. After he graduated from superior school (another name for high school), his parents sent him off to

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla� ...

, where he was to prepare himself to become a career soldier.El Nuevo Dia

Military career

Padial attended the Military Academy of Toledo and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Spanish Army upon his graduation. He was stationed in Puerto Rico in 1863, when a pro-independence rebellion occurred in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. Padial's battalion was deployed with the intention of "squashing" the rebellion. He was badly wounded in a skirmish and was sent back to Puerto Rico to recover from his wounds. Padial had been a witness of the cruel treatment that the

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

had suffered in the hands of the Spaniards and became convinced that their quest for independence was a noble and just one. After he recovered from his wounds, Padial became an active and outspoken person on behalf of the cause of the Dominican Republic. This led to his deportation from Puerto Rico by orders of the Spanish Governor of the island, General Messina, in December 1864. Padial went to Spain and joined the liberals, who wanted to overthrow the Spanish Monarchy of Queen Isabella II and establish a republic. The rebels were under the command of General Primm. Padial organized an attack from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in 1866 and another from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1867. In 1868, the Spanish Monarchy was overthrown and a republic was established. Padial was named Brigadier General of the Battalion of Madrid.

Abolitionist

He returned to the island and in 1869 was elected to represent Puerto Rico in the Spanish Courts. On November 13, 1869, Padial sent a letter to the Minister of the Overseas Department, Segismundo Moret, to consider granting Puerto Rico more autonomy and to abolish slavery in Puerto Rico using

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

as a model. On November 19, 1872, Padial together with Roman Baldorioty de Castro, Julio Vizcarrondo and Minister Segismundo Moret, presented a second proposal for the abolition of slavery. On March 22, 1873, the Spanish Government approved the proposal which became known as the Moret Law.

Later years

In 1874, Padial went into a self-imposed exile in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, when the Spanish Monarchy returned to power. Padial returned to Spain in January 1879 and died on March 5, 1879, in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Notes

References

External links

El Nuevo Dia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padial, Luis 1832 births 1879 deaths Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rican abolitionists Military personnel from San Juan, Puerto Rico People of the Dominican Restoration War Puerto Rican military officers 19th-century Puerto Rican politicians