Background
Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso was born on 21 February 1861 in la Habana.
politician president statesman
Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso was born on 21 February 1861 in la Habana.
He earned a law degree.
In 1896 was serving as a member of the Autonomist Party Junta Central, when he was imprisoned by Spanish General Valeriano Weyler. Upon release a year later, Zayas joined the revolutionary forces. Following the defeat of the Spanish, he served in the Department of Justice under the administration of General Leonard Wood.
Alfredo Zayas, a long-time member of the Liberal Party, served as vice president during the José Miguel Gomez administration (1909-1913) but was defeated for the presidency in 1912, when a feud with Gomez gave the election to the Conservatives.
The later years of Zayas’ administration witnessed a resurgence of the economy as sugar prices began to rebound. In response to Zayas’ rule, there emerged a generation of militant young people dedicated to revitalizing their nation; this radical backlash was Zayas’ only lasting legacy.
Another hallmark of the Zayas administration was the “special relationships” between the Cuban president and the U. S. presidential envoy, General Enoch Crowder. Originally appointed by President Wilson to set Cuba’s financial house in order, Crowder soon became adviser to President Zayas. Throughout 1922, Crowder virtually ran the nation, telling the Cuban president what to spend and hand-picking a new “honest cabinet” in an effort to deal with the rampant corruption. Only when Zayas received a $50 million loan from the Morgan bank in 1923 did he dismiss the “honest cabinet” chosen by his U.S. mentor.
His administration was the most corrupt up to that time in Cuban history. Bribery, tax frauds, grafting in customs, and manipulation of lottery collectorships were all used for personal enrichment by Zayas, his family and friends.
When the Liberals refused him the nomination in 1920, Zayas formed the Partido Popular which, with backing of the Conservatives, gave him victory over his old Liberal Party mentor, Gomez.
