José Francisco Peña Gómez facts for kids

José Francisco Peña Gómez (born March 6, 1937 – died May 10, 1998) was a very important politician from the Dominican Republic. He led the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and tried to become president three times. He also served as the Mayor of Santo Domingo. Many people see him, along with Joaquín Balaguer and Juan Bosch, as one of the most famous Dominican leaders of the 1900s.

Early Life and Education

José Francisco Peña Gómez was born on March 6, 1937, in Mao, Dominican Republic. His birth parents were from Haiti. When he was a baby, his parents had to leave the country to stay safe. This was because of a terrible event called the Parsley Massacre, where many Haitians were harmed.

A kind Dominican family, Simón Pichardo and Andrea Rodríguez de Pichardo, adopted him. Later in his life, some of his political rivals tried to use his Haitian background against him.

Peña Gómez studied at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), finishing in 1966. He then continued his studies at the famous Sorbonne in Paris, France.

Joining Politics and the Civil War

Starting in 1961, Peña Gómez became a strong supporter of Juan Bosch. Bosch was the leader of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) at that time. Bosch won the presidential election in 1962, becoming the first democratically elected president in 32 years. However, his government was overthrown by the military in September 1963.

In 1965, Peña Gómez became widely known. He spoke on Radio Santo Domingo, calling for people to rise up against the military government. He wanted Bosch to return to power. The United States, led by President Lyndon Johnson, sent troops to the Dominican Republic. They were worried about a possible communist movement in the country.

Leading the Dominican Revolutionary Party

In December 1973, Juan Bosch started a new party called the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). Under Peña Gómez's leadership, the PRD became very successful. The party won the presidential elections in 1978 with Antonio Guzmán and again in 1982 with Salvador Jorge Blanco.

Peña Gómez himself served as the Mayor of Santo Domingo from 1982 to 1986. During his time as mayor, he is remembered for creating the Plaza Güibia (Güibia Plaza). This plaza is located on the city's seaside boulevard. He also helped plant many beautiful trees along the main avenues of Santo Domingo city.

Presidential Campaigns

Peña Gómez ran for president several times. In 1990, he came in third place. The winners were Balaguer from the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) and Bosch from the PLD.

By 1994, the PRD was very strong, and Peña Gómez was again their candidate for president. The election campaign that year was very intense and had many problems. Peña Gómez lost to Balaguer in a very close election. There were many reports of things going wrong. For example, some of Peña Gómez's supporters found their names missing from the voting lists.

Peña Gómez called for a general strike, and many of his followers supported it. After protests from other countries, an investigation was started. This investigation showed serious concerns about how fair the election was. The election officials didn't even know the total number of registered voters. Also, the voting lists at the polling stations didn't match the lists given to the political parties. The investigation also found that about 200,000 people had been removed from the voting lists.

After many talks, Balaguer announced he would leave office early in 1996. He had served seven terms as president.

In the 1996 election, Peña Gómez won the first round of voting. However, he didn't get enough votes to win outright. In the second round, Leonel Fernández, a lawyer from the PLD, won by a small margin. This happened because the PLD formed an alliance with Balaguer's PRSC.

Family Life

José Francisco Peña Gómez was married four times. His first wife was Julia Idalia Guaba Martínez. They had four children: Lourdes Fátima, Luz del Alba “Luchy”, José Francisco “José Frank”, and Francisco Antonio “Tony” Peña Guaba.

His second marriage was to Ana Rosa Meléndez, who used to be the Director of the Museum of Modern Dominican Art. They had one child named María Rosa Peña Meléndez.

His fourth and last marriage was to Peggy Cabral, who is the daughter of the Dominican writer Manuel del Cabral. In total, Peña Gómez had nine children.

Final Years and Legacy

Peña Gómez passed away on May 10, 1998, in Cambita Garabitos, San Cristóbal. This was just six days before the mayoral elections in Santo Domingo, where he was running again.

Peña Gómez was one of the most beloved leaders in the recent political history of the Dominican Republic. Many people, especially those who were poor, greatly admired him.

Because he was such an important political figure until his death, the main international airport in the Dominican Republic was renamed. It changed from "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas" to "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez".

Today, a metro station and the International Airport in Santo Domingo are named in his honor.

See also

In Spanish: José Francisco Peña Gómez para niños

• List of political parties in the Dominican Republic
• Politics of the Dominican Republic