Antonio Imbert Barrera

Antonio Imbert Barrera (born December 3, 1920) was president of the Dominican Republic from May 7, 1965 until August 30, 1965. His predecessor in the post was Pedro Bartolomé Benoit; his successor, Héctor García Godoy. (See List of Presidents of the Dominican Republic).

His first important position was as governor of Puerto Plata in 1940. He was removed from the post by the dictator Rafael Trujillo for sending a telegram to Trujillo informing the names of the survivors of the failed Luperon invasion. This caused, in a personal manner, the beginning of the murder plan against Trujillo.

On May 30, 1961 Trujillo was shot dead when his car was ambushed on a road outside the Dominican capital. Imbert, accompanied by Antonio de la Maza, Salvador Estrella Sahdala and Lt. Amado Garcia Guerrero, was the driver of the ambushing vehicle. Most of those involved in the assassination plot were subsequently captured and executed, with the exception of Imbert and Luis Amiama Tió. Imbert went into hiding until December 2.

As a result, Imbert was declared a "National Hero", and was awarded the general grade Advitam. In the Civil War in the Dominican Republic of 1965 he led one of the factions in the struggle which faced the constitutionalist government led by Colonel Francisco Caamaño, who tried to bring back Juan Bosch to the country's presidency. Imbert's faction, called the Government of National Reconstruction was endorsed by the US troops inspectors, in addition, he was one of the collaborators with the Americans, finally signing a peace act that put an end to the April war.

On March 21, 1967, he was shot in Santo Domingo while traveling with Marino Garcia. The attempted assassination was made by the late dictator Trujillo's supporters. He survived by driving himself to a medical clinic.

References and sources

 * List of rulers of the Dominican Republic
 * Presidentes dominicanos por provincias
 * Gerrero, Miguel: “January 1962, Dominican Waking up”, in Antonio Imbert Barrera -  Monograf Editions, Santo Domingo, RD, 1988. - ISBN 84365155