Dr. Carlos Prío Socarrás papers

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Dr. Carlos Prío Socarrás papers

Date(s)

  • 1948-1972 (Creation)

Extent

18 Boxes

Name of creator

(1903-1977)

Biographical history

Carlos Prío Socarrás (1903-1977) was born to Francisco Prío Rivas and María de Regla Socarrás Socarrás in Bahía Honda, Cuba. He became politically active during his time as a law student at the University of Havana, when he spent two years in prison for anti-government activities. In 1933, he was part of the coup that deposed Gerardo Machado’s government; it was around this time that he was involved in the founding of the Partido Revolucionario - Auténtico, whose nationalist and anti-liberal ideals originated during the 1933 revolution that ousted Machado. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1939 and became the leader of the Partido Auténtico in 1940. From 1945 to 1947, he served as Cuba’s Prime Minister, and then served as Minister of Labor from 1947 to 1948 before becoming president that year. Prío continued the centrist policies of his predecessor Ramón Grau San Martín, establishing agrarian reform programs, a national bank and a civil service.

In 1952, he was deposed in a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista, three months before the next elections, and left for the United States. He returned to the island in 1959, initially supporting Castro’s revolution, but eventually left the island again in 1961. He was an active spokesman for the exile community in Miami throughout the 1960s and early 70s. Prío spent the later years of his life in Miami working as a designer and businessman before his death in 1977.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

The Dr. Carlos Prío Socarrás papers document the life and career of politician Carlos Prío Socarrás, President of Cuba from 1948 to 1952. The materials include correspondence, interviews, photographs, illustrations, and other memorabilia.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This collection is currently closed for research.

Physical access

Items from this collection are housed in the Cuban Heritage Collection located in the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion on the second floor of the Otto G. Richter Library at the University of Miami.

Technical access

Some audio visual materials such as reel-to-reel tapes are restricted due to preservation and mechanical limitations.

Conditions governing reproduction

Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact chc@miami.edu for more information.

Preferred citation: Dr. Carlos Prío Socarrás Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.

Languages of the material

  • English
  • Spanish

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Gift of María Elena Prío, Marián Prío, and Carlos Odio.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

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Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Sources used

Archivist's note

Minimal collection-level record added by Juan A. Villanueva, April 2020 and updated by Amanda Moreno, May 2020. Updated by Juan A. Villanueva, March 2021.

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