Vásquez, Horacio (1860–1936)

Dominican Republic politician, president in 1899, 1902–03, and 1924–30. He rose to power after the assassination of dictator Ulises Heureaux in 1899, and dominated politics until overthrown by the dictator Rafael Trujillo Molina in 1930. After helping to negotiate US withdrawal from the republic in 1924, he won the US-supervised presidential elections. Ruling with honesty, he promoted reforms instituted by the US regime 1916–24, but in 1928 his presidential term was unconstitutionally extended to six years and he adopted US Republican Charles Dawes' report on fiscal reform. When economic depression intensified from 1929, he was deposed and forced into exile.

During the 1880s and 1890s Vásquez participated in plots to overthrow the dictator Ulises Heureaux, who was president 1882–84 and 1886–99.