born Feb. 12, 1911, La Vega, Dom.Rep.
died July 4, 1982, Santo Domingo
President of the Dominican Republic (197882).
Son of a textile merchant, he managed textile stores before being elected president as a left-of-centre candidate, despite attempts by followers of the incumbent, Joaquín Balaguer , to halt the vote count. Responding to the collapse of world sugar prices, he launched an aggressive agricultural policy that quickly enabled the country to achieve self-sufficiency in rice and beans. Though he inherited a turbulent political and economic situation, he left behind a stable economy and democratic institutions guaranteeing civil liberties. His death was an apparent suicide.