Cáceres, Ramón (1866–1911)

Ramón Cáceres (b. 15 December 1866; d. 19 November 1911), president of the Dominican Republic (1906–1911). Born in Moca, in the north-central part of the country, to a distinguished and prosperous family, Cáceres, a landowner, was in the forefront of the opposition to president Ulises Heureaux (1882–1899). Cáceres earned national recognition when, on 26 July 1899, he assassinated the dictator during a public appearance in Moca. The ensuing political chaos resulted in several years of unstable regimes. Cáceres was forced into exile in 1903 but returned in 1904 to become vice president under Carlos Morales. When the latter abandoned his post in 1906, Cáceres assumed the office.

Cáceres's presidency was one of the most peaceful and prosperous periods in Dominican history. He expanded federal power without debilitating local government, reformed the constitution, began an ambitious public works program, and transferred many privately owned utilities to the public realm. The shifts in economic power engendered by his reform earned him powerful enemies, and there were several unsuccessful plots against his government. In 1905, a United States customs receivership was established. Cáceres welcomed the prosperity it brought but remained concerned about financial dependence on the United States. Then in 1911, as he took his evening ride, Cáceres was assassinated. His death was followed by a resurgence of political and economic disorder and, ultimately, by the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1916.

See alsoDominican Republic .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Selden Rodman, Quisqueya: A History of the Dominican Republic (1964), pp. 102-127.

Pedro Troncoso Sánchez, Ramón Cáceres (1964).

                                        Sara Fleming