María Gómez Carbonell (June 29, 1903May 24, 1988) was a Cuban
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
and politician. She was one of the first group of seven women elected to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, serving in the House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940. In 1940 she became the first woman to be elected to the Senate, and in 1942 was appointed
Minister without portfolio
A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...
, becoming the first woman in a Cuban cabinet. She founded Cruzada Educativa Cubana in 1962, as well as the Alliance of National Feminists.
Early life
Carbonell was born June 29, 1903, in
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. An only child, her parents were Jose Fernando Gomez Santoyo and Candelaria Carbonell Rivero. Her maternal grandfather, Néstor Leonelo Carbonell Figueroa, as well as three uncles, José Manuel, Néstor, and Miguel Angel were involved in Cuba's politics and society. She was one of the first women to earn a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy and Letters in Cuba) 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 ...
La Habana Province
La Habana Province , formerly known as Ciudad de La Habana Province, is a province of Cuba that includes the territory of the city of Havana, the Republic's capital. The province's territory is the seat of the superior organs of the state and i ...
in the 1936 general elections, the first in which women could vote, and was one of seven women elected. In the 1940 elections she was the first woman elected to the Senate, serving until 1944. She was appointed Minister without Portfolio in 1942, and was still a minister in the late 1950s. She served in the Senate again from 1955 to 1959 for
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...
's National Progressive Coalition. During her career in Cuba's Congress, she delivered more than 160 speeches. She founded the Alliance of National Feminists in Cuba, as well as the Cruzada Educativa Cubana in 1962. Described as a "sought-after speaker in the Cuban exile community", she was exiled to the United States in 1959. While in exile in Miami, Florida, she became the founding member of civic organization (CEC) and the also umbrella organization of ''Municipios de Cuba en el Exilio'' ( Cuban Municipalities in Exile). In the publication called the ''El Habanero'', a Cuban exile periodical, she was Director for the Havana Province.
While in exile in Miami, under the aegis of the ''Cruzada Educativa Cubana'', she organized Cuban Culture Day on 25 November every year when the Juan J. Remos Award was presented to Cubans for their contribution in the cultural and educational fields. The Cuban Teacher Day was also observed in Miami on July 11 every year when the José de la Luz y Caballero (a famous nineteenth century Cuban teacher and philosopher) Award was presented. She also scripted and presented a Spanish-language radio program titled "La Escuelita Cubana" highlighting issues related to Cuban history.
Death and legacy
Carbonell died on May 24, 1988, in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. She is cited as a "community icon in both Cuba and the United States".