Nicolás Azcárate Escobedo

Lawyer, politician and Cuban journalist, born near the city of Santiago in 1828 and died in La Habana in 1894.

He was a member of an important Spanish family closely related to sugar cultivation and the sugar industry. He completed his early studies in La Habana and later moved to Madrid to continue his higher education, choosing to study law. A great writing enthusiast, he contributed to the editorial staff of the journal Jurisprudencia and the magazine Pueblo. Upon his return to Cuba, Azcárate joined the Reformist Party, which sought changes in Spanish laws regarding Cuba, granting it greater autonomy while still remaining under the Crown. He was part of the Board of Information that traveled to Madrid in order to meet with Spanish authorities and present their points of view and aspirations, which took place in 1866, but without any success.

As a result of the Crown's refusal, he settled in Spain and dedicated himself to journalism, directing the newspapers La Constitución and la Voz del Pueblo. He worked tirelessly to prevent the insurrection of La Demajagua in 1868, but it was impossible, as the voice of independentists and the support of white Creoles was a fact that was felt throughout the Island. The following year he proposed to the Minister of Overseas Territories the conditions to achieve peace, but they were not accepted. Faced with such a difficult situation, he left Cuba and settled in Mexico where he founded the newspaper El eco de ambos mundos. When the disturbances of 1868 ended, he returned to Cuba and later traveled to Madrid. Finally, he was part of the board of administration of the island and in 1869 published the book Votos de mi Cuba.

Azcárate died in 1894, when Cuba was the scene of serious events and the great confrontation between independentist leaders and the Spanish Crown was approaching, which erupted the following year.

Source: Text taken from MCNbiografias.com