PALMA, TOMAS ESTRADA (1835-1908), patriot and first president of Cuba, was born near Bayamo, Santiago Prov ince, Cuba, on July 9, 1835. He was educated at Havana and at the University of Seville in Spain. When the Ten Years' War (1868-78) was planned, he entered into the patriot plans with great zeal, freeing his slaves and giving his money to the cause of Cuban freedom. He became a general in the revolution ary army, then secretary and finally, in 1876, president of the provisional government which was instituted by the revolutionists. In 1877, however, he was captured by the Spaniards and con fined first in El Morro castle and then in Spain until the revolu tion was suppressed. After his release he went to Honduras, where he married the daughter of the president and became postmaster-general. Later he moved to Orange county, N.Y., where he opened a boys' school, most of the children attending being from Latin-American countries. In 1895, when the Cuban revolution again broke out he went to New York city and became active in the work of the Cuban Junta. After the death of Jose Marti, Palma became the real head of the revolution. In New York he was active in procuring money, arms and supplies for the revolutionary forces, and was also the informally recognized diplomatic representative of Cuba at Washington. After success had come to the Cubans through the aid of the United States Palma demanded that the United States should ask for nothing less than Cuban independence in the treaty with Spain. In 19o1,
when the United States was ready to turn the island over to the Cubans, Palma became the first president of the republic by an almost unanimous vote. His rule was honest and intelligent and Cuba was brought to a high degree of prosperity. Palma joined no political party at first and chose a non-partisan cabinet, but he was forced more and more to ally himself with the Conserva tives to get his measures through Congress. He allowed himself to become the candidate of the Conservatives for re-election in 1905, an election in which the Conservative bosses probably used fraudulent methods at the polls without Palma's previous knowl edge. The Liberals charged a corrupt election and fomented the revolution of 1906, which resulted in the resignation of Palma on Sept. 6, 1906. The United States was forced to take control of the Government temporarily. Palma died in Santiago Prov ince, Cuba, on Nov. 4, 5908.
See R. Martinez Ortiz, Los primeros aiios de independencies (1921) ; E. Barbarrosa, El proceso de to repliblica (i911) ; C. E. Chapman, History of the Cuban Republic (1927).