in Sancti Spiritus on July 6, 1858. He there
obtained his earlier education, which he continued at the Institute of
Havana, taking his degree of Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in 1875. He
joined the revolutionary forces shortly before the end of the Ten Years'
War. When, after the Zanjon Peace, the struggle broke out afresh, in the
Little War, Gomez took once more to the field and attained the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel. This outbreak having failed, he returned to his home
and devoted himself to managing his father's estate in Sancti Spiritus.
When once more the Cuban patriots resumed their struggle for the cause
of independence in 1895, he again answered the call to arms. The action
of Manajato won for him the rank of Colonel and the command of the
Sancti Spiritus brigade. He was subsequently promoted to Brigadier
General and then to the rank of Division General, after the battle of
Santa Teresa where he was wounded. By the year 1898 he was at the head
of the first division of the Fourth Army Corps which operated in Santa
Clara Province. In this command he figured in most of the battles fought
in that section at the time. The capture of the supposedly impregnable
ingenio Canambo in the Trinidad Valley was one of the feats of this
campaign. Also the attack and capture of Jibaro, a town defended by a
strong contingent, and the operation of strategical importance conducted
against Arroyo Blanco, are to the General's credit in this campaign, in
which he was effectively assisted by a remarkable staff of young men,
who won a reputation for their capability and courage. When the Santa
Cruz del Sur Assembly met, at the close of the war against Spain,
General Gomez was elected to represent Santa Clara. Shortly after, he
formed part of a delegation which was sent to Washington on a diplomatic
mission. On his return to Cuba he was appointed Civil Governor of the
Province of Santa Clara on March 14, 1899; which position he held until
September 27, 1905, when he resigned, having been nominated as the
candidate of the Liberal party for the Presidency. His years of office
as Governor of Santa Clara were interrupted by his attending the
sessions of the Constitutional Convention at Havana, as a delegate from
Santa Clara. When General Gomez was defeated by President Estrada Palma,
who ran for re-election, conspiracies and agitations were organized
which culminated in the revolt of August, 1906, against Estrada Palma's
administration. Of t