Ricardo de Ortega y Diez (10 August 1838 – 3 December 1917) was a Spanish general. He served as interim Governor-General of Puerto Rico during three periods of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and occupied various other posts. Born 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 ...

, Spain, Ortega y Diez attended the Colegio de Infantería and became a sub-lieutenant at the age of 17. From 1859 to 1860, he served in Africa obtaining the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. On 24 May 1873, he received the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and participated in several actions against

Carlists Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855), on the Spanish throne. The ...

. In early 1880s, he was the Director of the Central Shooting School, inventing a quick loader for

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

s in 1889. In 1892, he reached the rank of division general and returned to Africa the following year to work with the tribes of

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

. In 1895, he served as Military Governor of

. On 19 February 1896, he was named second

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

of the Capitanía General 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 ...

and Military Governor of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

. According to tradition, in 1898, just before the United States took possession of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War, the last governor, Ricardo de Ortega, struck a colonial clock with his sword. This act symbolized the exact moment Spain lost control of the island and its final possession in the Americas.The clock is still kept in La Fortaleza. After the Spanish–American War, he received the rank of

in 1901. In 1903 he received the rank of Captain General of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

until 1910. That year he turned to the Reserve after 54 years of military service. He died in

, Spain, on 3 December 1917.

References

External links

*
Important Figures of the War

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega y Diez, Ricardo de Spanish generals Royal governors of Puerto Rico Spanish military personnel of the Spanish–American War 1838 births 1917 deaths