List of heads of state of Cuba Facts for Kids

This page is about the heads of state of Cuba. For the heads of government of Cuba, see List of heads of government of Cuba.

This article is about the leaders of Cuba from 1902 until today. The head of state is the main leader of a country. They represent the nation and often have important duties.

How Cuba's Leaders Changed Over Time
Leaders of Cuba
Timeline of Cuban Leaders
See also

How Cuba's Leaders Changed Over Time

Cuba's top leader has had different titles and roles throughout history.

Early Years: The President (1902-1976)

From 1902 to 1976, Cuba's leader was called the president of Cuba. This was under two different rulebooks, or "constitutions": the 1901 Constitution and the 1940 Constitution.

The Council of State (1976-2019)

In 1976, a new constitution changed things. The title of president was removed. Instead, the leader became the President of the Council of State.

President Returns (2019-Present)

On February 24, 2019, Cuba adopted another new constitution. This brought back the position of president. This change officially started on October 11, 2019.

The current president of Cuba is Miguel Díaz-Canel. He has been in this role since April 19, 2018.

Leaders of Cuba

Republic of Cuba (1902–1906)

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Term			Political party	Elected
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Elected
President of the Republic
1		Tomás Estrada Palma (1835–1908)	20 May 1902	28 September 1906	4 years, 131 days	Republican	1901 1905

Second Occupation of Cuba (1906–1909)

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Term			Appointed by
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Appointed by
Provisional Governors
–		William Howard Taft (1857–1930)	29 September 1906	13 October 1906	14 days	President Theodore Roosevelt
–		Charles Edward Magoon (1861–1920)	13 October 1906	28 January 1909	2 years, 107 days	President Theodore Roosevelt

Republic of Cuba (1909–1959)

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Term			Political party	Elected	Prime Minister
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Elected	Prime Minister
Presidents of the Republic
2		José Miguel Gómez (1858–1921)	28 January 1909	20 May 1913	4 years, 112 days	Liberal	1908	–
3		Mario García Menocal (1866–1941)	20 May 1913	20 May 1921	8 years	PNC	1912 1916	–
4		Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso (1861–1934)	20 May 1921	20 May 1925	4 years	Liberal	1920	–
5		Gerardo Machado (1871–1939)	20 May 1925	12 August 1933	8 years, 84 days	Liberal	1924 1928	–
–		Alberto Herrera Franchi (1874–1954) Acting	12 August 1933	13 August 1933	1 day	Military	–	–
–		Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada (1871–1939) Acting	13 August 1933	5 September 1933	23 days	Liberal	–	–
–		Pentarchy of 1933 Acting	5 September 1933	10 September 1933	5 days	Non partisan	–	–
6		Ramón Grau (1881–1969)	10 September 1933	15 January 1934	127 days	Auténtico	–	–
–		Carlos Hevia (1900–1964) Acting	15 January 1934	18 January 1934	3 days	Auténtico	–	–
–		Manuel Márquez Sterling (1872–1934) Acting	18 January 1934	18 January 1934	0 days	Independent	–	–
–		Carlos Mendieta (1873–1960) Acting	18 January 1934	11 December 1935	1 year, 327 days	National Union	–	–
–		José Agripino Barnet (1864–1945) Acting	11 December 1935	20 May 1936	161 days	National Union	–	–
7		Miguel Mariano Gómez (1889–1950)	20 May 1936	24 December 1936	218 days	National Union	1936	–
8		Federico Laredo Brú (1875–1946)	24 December 1936	10 October 1940	3 years, 291 days	National Union	–	–
9		Fulgencio Batista (1901–1973)	10 October 1940	10 October 1944	4 years	CSD	1940	Carlos Saladrigas Zayas (1940–1942) Ramón Zaydín (1942–1944) Anselmo Alliegro y Milá (1944)
(6)		Ramón Grau (1881–1969)	10 October 1944	10 October 1948	4 years	Auténtico	1944	Félix Lancís Sánchez (1944–1945) Carlos Prío Socarrás (1945–1947) Raúl López del Castillo (1947–1948)
10		Carlos Prío Socarrás (1903–1977)	10 October 1948	10 March 1952	3 years, 152 days	Auténtico	1948	Manuel Antonio de Varona (1948–1950) Félix Lancís Sánchez (1950–1951) Óscar Gans (1951–1952)
–		Fulgencio Batista (1901–1973) Acting	10 March 1952	14 August 1954	2 years, 157 days	Progressive Action	–	Himself (1952)
–		Andrés Domingo del Castillo (1892–1979) Acting	14 August 1954	24 February 1955	194 days	Progressive Action	–	–
(9)		Fulgencio Batista (1901–1973)	24 February 1955	1 January 1959	3 years, 311 days	Progressive Action	1954	Jorge García Montes (1955–1957) Andrés Rivero Agüero (1957–1958) Emilio Núñez Portuondo (1958) Gonzalo Güell (1958–1959)
–		Carlos Manuel Piedra (1895–1988) Acting	1 January 1959	2 January 1959	1 day	Independent	–	–

Republic of Cuba (1959–present)

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Term			Political party	Prime Minister
No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Prime Minister
Presidents of the Republic
11		Manuel Urrutia Lleó (1901–1981)	2 January 1959	18 July 1959	197 days	Independent	José Miró Cardona (1959) Fidel Castro (1959–1976)
12		Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (1919–1983)	18 July 1959	2 December 1976	17 years, 137 days	Popular Socialist PCC	Fidel Castro
Presidents of the Council of State
13		Fidel Castro (1926–2016)	2 December 1976	24 February 2008	31 years, 84 days	PCC	Himself (as president of the Council of Ministers)
14		Raúl Castro (born 1931)	24 February 2008	19 April 2018	10 years, 54 days	PCC	Himself (as president of the Council of Ministers)
15		Miguel Díaz-Canel (born 1960)	19 April 2018	10 October 2019	1 year, 174 days	PCC	Himself (as president of the Council of Ministers)
President of the Republic
(15)		Miguel Díaz-Canel (born 1960)	10 October 2019	Incumbent	5 years, 254 days	PCC	Manuel Marrero Cruz