List of presidents of the Dominican Republic

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The President of the Dominican Republic is both the head of state and head of government of the Dominican Republic. This page contains a list (modified from Moya Pons[1]) of presidents of the Dominican Republic.

President of the Dominican Republic
Presidential Standard
Incumbent
Luis Abinader

since 16 August 2020
StyleHis Excellency
ResidenceNational Palace, Santo Domingo
Term lengthFour years
Inaugural holderPedro Santana
Formation13 November 1844
Websitepresidencia.gob.do

First Republic, 1844–1861 change

  • Pedro Santana: 13 November 1844 – 4 August 1848
  • Council of Secretaries of State: 4 August – 8 September 1848
  • Manuel Jimenes: 8 September 1848 – 29 May 1849
  • Pedro Santana: 30 May – 23 September 1849
  • Buenaventura Báez: 24 September 1849 – 15 February 1853
  • Pedro Santana: 15 February 1853 – 26 May 1856
  • Manuel de Regla Mota: 26 May – 8 October 1856
  • Buenaventura Báez: 8 October 1856 – 13 June 1858
  • José Desiderio Valverde: 13 June – 28 July 1858
  • Pedro Santana: 28 July 1858 – 18 March 1861

Annexation to Spain (Governors), 1861–1865 change

  • Pedro Santana: 18 March 1861 – 20 July 1862
  • Felipe Ribero y Lemoine: 20 July 1862 – 22 October 1863
  • Carlos de Vargas y Cerveto: 22 October 1863 – 30 March 1864
  • José de la Gándara y Navarro: 31 March 1864 – 11 July 1865

Restauration War, 1863–1865 change

  • José Antonio Salcedo: 14 September 1863 – 10 October 1864
  • Gaspar Polanco: 10 October 1864 – 23 January 1865
  • Benigno Filomeno de Rojas: 24 January – 24 March 1865

Second Republic, 1865–1916 change

  • Pedro Antonio Pimentel: 25 March – 4 August 1865
  • José María Cabral: 4 August – 15 November 1865
  • Pedro Guillermo: 15 November – 8 December 1865
  • Buenaventura Báez: 8 December 1865 – 29 May 1866
  • Triumvirate: 29 May – 22 August 1866
  • José María Cabral: 22 August 1866 – 31 January 1868
  • Manuel Altagracia Cáceres: 31 January – 13 February 1868
  • Council of Generals: 13 February – 2 May 1868
  • Buenaventura Báez: 2 May 1868 – 2 January 1874
  • Ignacio María González: 2 January – 22 January 1874
  • Generals-in-Charge:: 22 January – 6 April 1874
  • Ignacio María González: 6 April 1874 – 23 February 1876
  • Council of Secretaries of State: 23 February – 29 April 1876
  • Ulises Francisco Espaillat: 29 April – 5 October 1876
  • Governing Council: 5 October – 11 November 1876
  • Ignacio María González: 11 November – 9 December 1876
  • Marcos Antonio Cabral: 10 – 26 December 1876
  • Buenaventura Báez: 26 December 1876 – 2 March 1878
  • Cesáreo Guillermo: 5 March – 6 July 1878
  • Ignacio María González: 6 July – 2 September 1878
  • Jacinto de Castro: 7 – 29 September 1878
  • Council of Secretaries of State: 30 September 1878 – 27 February 1879
  • Cesáreo Guillermo: 27 February – 6 December 1879
  • Gregorio Luperón: 6 December 1879 – 1 September 1880
  • Fernando Arturo de Meriño: 1 September 1880 – 1 September 1882
  • Ulises Heureaux: 1 September 1882 – 1 September 1884
  • Francisco Gregorio Billini: 1 September 1884 – 16 May 1885
  • Alejandro Woss y Gil: 16 May 1885 – 6 January 1887
  • Ulises Heureaux: 6 January 1887 – 26 July 1899
  • Wenceslao Figuereo: 26 July – 30 August 1899
  • Horacio Vásquez: 4 September – 15 November 1899
  • Juan Isidro Jimenes: 15 November 1899 – 2 May 1902
  • Horacio Vásquez: 26 April 1902 – 23 April 1903
  • Alejandro Woss y Gil: 23 April – 24 November 1903
  • Carlos F. Morales Languasco: 24 October 1903 – 12 January 1906
  • Ramón Cáceres: 12 January 1906 – 19 November 1911
  • Eladio Victoria: 5 December 1911 – 30 November 1912
  • Adolfo Alejandro Nouel: 1 December 1912 – 13 April 1913
  • José Bordas Valdés: 14 April 1913 – 27 August 1914
  • Ramón Báez: 28 August – 5 December 1914
  • Juan Isidro Jimenes: 5 December 1914 – 7 May 1916
  • Council of Secretaries of State: 7 May – 31 July 1916
  • Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal: 31 July – 29 November 1916

U.S. occupation (Military Governors), 1916–1922 change

  • Harry Shepard Knapp: 29 November 1916 – 18 November 1918
  • Ben Hebard Fuller: 18 November 1918 – 25 February 1919
  • Thomas Snowden: 25 February 1919 – 3 June 1921
  • Samuel Robison: 3 June 1921 – 21 October 1922

Third Republic, 1922–1965 change

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Term of office Political
party
Notes
Took office Left office Time in office
  Horacio Vásquez
(1860–1936)
1924 12 July 1924 3 March 1930 5 years, 234 days Red Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
  Rafael Estrella Ureña
(1889–1945)
3 March 1930 16 August 1930 166 days Republican Minister of Interior and Police under Horacio Vásquez, assumed the presidency after coup d'état.
Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
  Rafael Trujillo
(1891–1961)
1930 16 August 1930 16 August 1934 8 years Confederation of Parties
1934 16 August 1934 16 August 1938 PD
Jacinto Peynado
(1878–1940)
1938 16 August 1938 7 March 1940 1 year, 204 days PD Died in office.
Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
  Manuel de Jesús Troncoso
(1878–1955)
7 March 1940 18 May 1942 2 years, 72 days PD Vice-president under Jacinto Peynado, assumed the presidency after his death.
Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
  Rafael Trujillo
(1891–1961)
1942 18 May 1942 16 August 1947 10 years, 90 days PD Finished the presidential term of Jacinto Peynado ending on 16 August 1942.
1947 16 August 1947 16 August 1952
  Héctor Trujillo
(1908–2002)
1 March 1951 1 October 1951 9 years, 155 days PD Acting president.
1952 16 August 1952 16 August 1957 Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
1957 16 August 1957 3 August 1960 Resigned.
Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
  Joaquín Balaguer
(1906–2002)
3 August 1960 31 December 1961 1 year, 150 days PD Vice-president under Héctor Trujillo, assumed the presidency after his resignation.
Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo until the assassination of Trujillo on 30 May 1961.
Resigned.
  Council of State 1 January 1962 16 January 1962 1 year, 15 days Members: Joaquín Balaguer (President), Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly (Vice-president), Eduardo Read Barreras (Second Vice-president), Eliseo Pérez Sánchez, Nicolás Pichardo, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera.
Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
  Civic-Military Junta 16 January 1962 18 January 1962 2 days Military Members: Huberto Bogaert (President), Armando Óscar Pacheco, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera, Enrique Valdez Vidaurre, Wilfredo Medina Natalio, Neit Rafael Nivar Seijas.
  Council of State 18 January 1962 27 February 1963 1 year, 40 days Members: Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly (President), Eduardo Read Barreras, Eliseo Pérez Sánchez, Nicolás Pichardo, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera, Donald Reid Cabral.
  Juan Bosch
(1909–2001)
1962 27 February 1963 25 September 1963 210 days PRD Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
  Víctor Elby Viñas Román
(1925–2004)
25 September 1963 26 September 1963 1 day Military President of the Provisional Government Junta.
  Triumvirate 26 September 1963 23 December 1963 88 days Military Members: Emilio de los Santos (President), Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat, Ramón Tapia Espinal.
  Triumvirate 23 December 1963 25 April 1965 1 year, 123 days Military Members: Donald Reid Cabral (President), Ramón Tapia Espinal (resigned on 8 April 1964), Ramón Cáceres Troncoso (since 8 April 1964), Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat (resigned on 27 June 1964).
Deposed during the Dominican Civil War.

Fourth Republic, 1966-present change

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Term of office Political
party
Notes
Took office Left office Time in office
  Joaquín Balaguer
(1906–2002)
1966 1 July 1966 16 August 1970 12 years, 46 days PRSC
1970 16 August 1970 16 August 1974
1974 16 August 1974 16 August 1978
Antonio Guzmán Fernández
(1911–1982)
1978 16 August 1978 4 July 1982 3 years, 322 days PRD Committed suicide.
  Jacobo Majluta Azar
(1934–1996)
4 July 1982 16 August 1982 43 days PRD Vice-president under Antonio Guzmán, assumed the presidency after his suicide.
Salvador Jorge Blanco
(1926–2010)
1982 16 August 1982 16 August 1986 4 years PRD
  Joaquín Balaguer
(1906–2002)
1986 16 August 1986 16 August 1990 10 years PRSC
1990 16 August 1990 16 August 1994
1994 16 August 1994 16 August 1996 After fraud charges in the elections, an agreement known as the Pact for Democracy (Pacto por la Democracia) was reached, which shortened the presidential term to two years.
  Leonel Fernández
(born 1953)
1996 16 August 1996 16 August 2000 4 years PLD
  Hipólito Mejía
(born 1941)
2000 16 August 2000 16 August 2004 4 years PRD
  Leonel Fernández
(born 1953)
2004 16 August 2004 16 August 2008 8 years PLD
2008 16 August 2008 16 August 2012
  Danilo Medina
(born 1951)
2012 16 August 2012 16 August 2016 11 years, 223 days PLD
2016 16 August 2016 16 August 2020
  Luis Abinader
(born 1967)
2020 16 August 2020 Incumbent 3 years PRM

References change

  1. Moya Pons, Frank (1997). Manual de Historia Dominicana (in Spanish). Santiago, D.R.: UCMM. pp. 587–598.