Miguel Mariano Gómez


Miguel Mariano Gómez y Arias was a Cuban politician who served as 7th President of Cuba for seven months in 1936.
Gómez was the son of Cuba's second president, José Miguel Gómez. Born in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, he served several terms in the Cuban House of Representatives and in 1926 was elected mayor of Havana. In 1928, a constitutional reform annulled the City Hall of Havana and Gómez went into exile in New York City. He participated in the failed Río Verde armed expedition against the Machado regime, was imprisoned, and returned to exile. After the ouster of president Gerardo Machado on August 12, 1933, he went back to Havana, founded the Accion Republicana Party, and in 1934, he was again elected as mayor of Havana.
Following years of political instability, Miguel Mariano Gómez was elected President of Cuba. Inaugurated May 20, 1936 he served until December 24, 1936, when he was impeached by Congress for vetoing the Nine Cent Law. This was a revenue on each nationally produced 250-pound bag of sugar that would finance the Civic-Rural schools promoted by Colonel Fulgencio Batista. He then left Cuba for the United States and returned to Cuba in 1939. In 1940, he ran again for mayor of Havana but lost to Raul Menocal. After that he retired from public life.
He was married to Serafina Diago y Cardenas and they had three daughters, Serafina, Graziella and Margarita Gomez y Diago. He attended a Jesuit school in Cienfuegos and later studied law.
Miguel Mariano Gómez died in Havana in 1950 at age 61 after a long illness.