List of presidents of the Dominican Republic

See also: President of the Dominican Republic

File:Santo Domingo National Palace.jpg

The National Palace is the president's official workplace, the center of the administration, and a prominent symbol of the office.

Since independence in 1844, the Dominican Republic has counted 54 people in the presidential office, whether constitutional, provisional, or interim, divided into 66 periods of government. Likewise, there are also periods in which the head of state role has been exercised by collegiate bodies (such as triumvirates, military juntas, or councils of state).

First Republic (1844–1861)

Main article: First Republic (Dominican Republic)

Central Government Junta

The Central Government Junta was the first body of a collegiate and provisional nature to exercise the executive, legislative and judicial powers of the nascent Dominican state. It was provisionally constituted on 28 February 1844 and subsequently formalized on 1 March 1844; it went through two coups d'état, and finally dissolved with the proclamation of the first Constitution on 6 November 1844.

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (1817–1861)	28 February 1844	1 March 1844		Interim president of the Central Government Junta.
		Tomás Bobadilla (1795–1871)	1 March 1844	9 June 1844		President of the Central Government Junta. Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
	100px	Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (1817–1861)	9 June 1844	12 July 1844		President of the Central Government Junta. Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	12 July 1844	14 November 1844		President of the Central Government Junta.

Presidents

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Notes
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	1844	14 November 1844	4 August 1848		Resigned.
		Manuel Jimenes (1808–1854)	1848	8 September 1848	29 May 1849		Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	—	30 May 1849	23 September 1849		He held the title "Jefe Supremo" (meaning "Supreme Chief" or "Supreme Boss" in English).
	100px	Santiago Espaillat (1785–185?)	July 1849	President-elect Espaillat never took office.		—	Espaillat was senator for Santiago when he was elected President by the electoral college, but he did not accept the office as he was afraid that his predecessor (Santana) would undermine his ability to govern. Election results: S. Espaillat, 45 votes; P. Santana, 31 votes; R. B. Báez, 12 votes; José María Medrano, 3 votes; Pedro Ramón de Mena, 2 votes; José de la Concepción Taveras, 2 votes; L. de Velazco, 2 votes...
		Buenaventura Báez (1812–1884)	Aug. 1849	24 September 1849	15 February 1853
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	1853	15 February 1853	26 May 1856		Resigned.
		Manuel de Regla Mota (1795–1864)	—	2 January 1855	30 May 1855		Vice-president under Pedro Santana. Acting president.
			—	2 July 1855	5 September 1855		Vice-president under Pedro Santana. Acting president.
			—	26 May 1856	8 October 1856		Vice-president under Pedro Santana, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Resigned.
		Buenaventura Báez (1812–1884)	—	8 October 1856	12 June 1858		Vice-president under Manuel de Regla Mota, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Resigned.
		José Desiderio Valverde (1822–1903)	—	7 July 1857	31 August 1858		Self-appointed president in Santiago de los Caballeros.
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	—	13 June 1858	31 January 1859		Approved the annexation of the country to Spain.
			1859	31 January 1859	18 March 1861

Spanish annexation (1861–1865)

Main article: Spanish occupation of the Dominican Republic

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	Pedro Santana (1801–1864)	18 March 1861	20 July 1862		Captain-General of Santo Domingo. Resigned. Created 1st Marquess of Las Carreras in 1862.
	100px	Felipe Ribero y Lemoine (1797–1873)	20 July 1862	22 October 1863		Captain-General of Santo Domingo.
	100px	Carlos de Vargas y Cerveto (1803–1879)	23 October 1863	30 March 1864		Captain-General of Santo Domingo.
	100px	José de la Gándara y Navarro (1820–1885)	31 March 1864	11 July 1865		Captain-General of Santo Domingo.

Dominican Restoration War (1863–1865)

Main article: Dominican Restoration War

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	José Antonio Salcedo (1816–1864)	14 September 1863	10 October 1864
	100px	Gaspar Polanco (1801–1864)	10 October 1864	24 January 1865
	100px	Benigno Filomeno de Rojas (1821–1865)	24 January 1865	24 March 1865
		Pedro Antonio Pimentel (1830–1874)	25 March 1865	11 July 1865		Spain concedes defeat and orders a withdraw from the island.

Second Republic (1865–1916)

Main article: Second Republic (Dominican Republic)

•   Blue Party
•   Red Party
•   Green Party
•   No political party

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Political party	Notes
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Pedro Antonio Pimentel (1830–1874)	—	11 July 1865	4 August 1865		—	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		José María Cabral (1816–1899)	—	4 August 1865	15 November 1865		Blue	Cabral was proclaimed "Protector of the Republic" until the election of a new president by the National Convention.
		Pedro Guillermo (1814–1867)	—	15 November 1865	8 December 1865		—	Guillermo was appointed as Interim President until the arrival to the Dominican Republic of Buenaventura Báez, who was exiled in Curaçao.
		Buenaventura Báez (1812–1884)	1865	8 December 1865	29 May 1866		Red	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Triumvirate	—	29 May 1866	22 August 1866		—	Members: Pedro Antonio Pimentel, Gregorio Luperón, Federico de Jesús García. The Electoral College system was abolished and replaced by universal direct suffrage.
		José María Cabral (1816–1899)	—	22 August 1866	29 September 1866		Blue	Interim president.
			1866	29 September 1866	31 January 1868			Cabral was the first Dominican president elected by universal direct suffrage. Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Manuel Altagracia Cáceres (1838–1878)	—	31 January 1868	13 February 1868		—
		Junta of Generals	—	13 February 1868	2 May 1868		—	Members: José Antonio Hungría, Francisco Antonio Gómez Báez, José Ramón Luciano y Franco.
		Buenaventura Báez (1812–1884)	1868	2 May 1868	2 January 1874		Red	Ousted from office by defeat in the Six Years' War.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915)	—	25 November 1873	21 January 1874		Green	Supreme chief.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915) Manuel Altagracia Cáceres (1838–1878)	—	21 January 1874	5 February 1874		—	Generals in charge of the Supreme Power of the Nation.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915)	1874	5 February 1874	23 February 1876		Green	Resigned.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	23 February 1876	29 April 1876		—	Members: Pedro Tomás Garrido Matos, José de Jesús Eduardo de Castro Álvarez, Pedro Pablo de Bonilla y Correa-Cruzado, Juan Bautista Zafra y Miranda, Pablo López Villanueva (until 7 March 1876), Jacinto Peynado y Tejón (since 7 March 1876).
		Ulises Francisco Espaillat (1823–1878)	1876	29 April 1876	5 October 1876		Blue	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Superior Governing Junta	—	5 October 1876	11 November 1876		—	Members: Pedro Tomás Garrido Matos, José de Jesús Eduardo de Castro Álvarez, Juan Bautista Zafra y Miranda, Pablo López Villanueva, José Caminero Matías, Fidel Rodríguez Urdaneta, Juan Esteban Ariza Matos.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915)	—	11 November 1876	9 December 1876		Green	Resigned.
	100px	Marcos Antonio Cabral (1842–1903)	—	10 December 1876	26 December 1876		—	President of the Provisional Government Junta.
		Buenaventura Báez (1812–1884)	—	27 December 1876	2 March 1878		Red	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915)	—	1 March 1878	3 May 1878		Green	President of the Provisional Government of the National Movement.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	2 March 1878	5 March 1878		—	Members: José María Cabral, Joaquín Montolío.
		Cesáreo Guillermo (1847–1885)	—	5 March 1878	6 July 1878		Red	Interim president.
		Ignacio María González (1838–1915)	1878	6 July 1878	2 September 1878		Green	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Superior Leaders of the Revolutionary Movement	—	2 September 1878	6 September 1878		—	Members: Ulises Heureaux, Cesáreo Guillermo.
		Jacinto de Castro (1811–1896)	—	7 September 1878	29 September 1878		—	President of the Supreme Court of Justice. Resigned.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	30 September 1878	27 February 1879		—	Members: Cesáreo Guillermo, Alejandro Angulo Guridi, Pedro María Aristy.
		Cesáreo Guillermo (1847–1885)	1879	27 February 1879	6 December 1879		Red	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Gregorio Luperón (1839–1897)	—	6 October 1879	1 September 1880		Blue
	100px	Fernando Arturo de Meriño (1833–1906)	1880	1 September 1880	1 September 1882	years	Blue
		Ulises Heureaux (1845–1899)	1882	1 September 1882	1 September 1884	years	Blue
		Francisco Gregorio Billini (1844–1898)	1884	1 September 1884	16 May 1885		Blue	Resigned.
		Alejandro Woss y Gil (1856–1932)	—	16 May 1885	6 January 1887		Blue	Vice-president under Francisco Gregorio Billini, assumed the presidency after his resignation.
		Ulises Heureaux (1845–1899)	1886	6 January 1887	27 February 1889		Blue
			1888	27 February 1889	27 February 1893
			1892	27 February 1893	27 February 1897
			1896	27 February 1897	26 July 1899			Assassinated.
	100px	Wenceslao Figuereo (1834–1910)	—	26 July 1899	30 August 1899		Blue	Vice-president under Ulises Heureaux, assumed the presidency after his assassination. Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	31 August 1899			—	Members: Tomás Demetrio Morales, Arístides Patiño, Enrique Henríquez y Alfau, Jaime R. Vidal, Braulio Álvarez.
		People's Revolutionary Governing Junta	—	31 August 1899	4 September 1899		—	Members: Mariano Cestero, Álvaro Logroño, Arístides Patiño, Pedro María Mejía.
		Horacio Vásquez (1860–1936)	—	4 September 1899	15 November 1899		Red	Interim president.
	100px	Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1846–1919)	1899	15 November 1899	2 May 1902		Blue	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Horacio Vásquez (1860–1936)	—	26 April 1902	23 April 1903		Red	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Alejandro Woss y Gil (1856–1932)	—	23 March 1903	1 August 1903		Blue	Interim president.
			1903	1 August 1903	24 November 1903			Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
	100px	Carlos Felipe Morales (1868–1914)	—	24 November 1903	17 June 1904		Red	Interim president.
			1904	17 June 1904	24 December 1905			Resigned.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	24 December 1905	29 December 1905		—	Members: Manuel Lamarche García, Emiliano Tejera, Andrés Julio Montolío, Francisco Leonte Vásquez Lajara, Carlos Ginebra, Eladio Victoria, Federico Velásquez y Hernández.
	100px	Ramón Cáceres (1866–1911)	—	29 December 1905	1 July 1908		Red	Vice-president under Carlos Felipe Morales, assumed the presidency after his resignation.
			1908	1 July 1908	19 November 1911			Assassinated at the start of the 1911–12 Civil War.
		Council of Secretaries of State	—	19 November 1911	5 December 1911		—	Members: Miguel Antonio Román, José María Cabral.
	100px	Eladio Victoria (1864–1939)	—	5 December 1911	27 February 1912		—	Interim president appointed by the Congress.
			1912	27 February 1912	30 November 1912			Resigned at the end of the 1911–12 Civil War.
	100px	Adolfo Alejandro Nouel (1862–1937)	—	1 December 1912	13 April 1913		—	Archbishop of Santo Domingo, interim president appointed by the Congress. Resigned.
	100px	José Bordas Valdez (1874–1968)	—	14 April 1913	15 June 1914		—	Interim president appointed by the Congress.
			June 1914	15 June 1914	27 August 1914			Resigned at the end of the 1914 Civil War.
	100px	Ramón Báez (1858–1929)	—	28 August 1914	5 December 1914		—	Interim president.
	100px	Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1846–1919)	Oct. 1914	6 December 1914	4 May 1916		Blue

United States occupation (1916–1924)

Main article: United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–24)

•   Blue Party
•   No political party

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1846–1919)	4 May 1916	7 May 1916		Blue	Resigned due to the United States occupation.
		Council of Secretaries of State	7 May 1916	31 July 1916		—	Members: Jaime Mota, Bernardo Pichardo, Federico Velásquez y Hernández.
		Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal (1859–1935)	31 July 1916	29 November 1916		—	Interim president appointed by the Congress. Removed by the United States.
Vacant 29 November 1916 – 21 October 1922
	100px	Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos (1871–1935)	21 October 1922	12 July 1924		—	Interim president.

Third Republic (1924–1965)

Main article: Third Republic (Dominican Republic)

•   Red Party (Red)
•   Republican Party (Republican)
•   Dominican Party (PD)
•   Rafael Trujillo and his puppet presidents
•   No political party
•   Military
•   Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD)

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)		Elected	Term of office			Political party	Notes
					Took office	Left office	Time in office
	100px	Horacio Vásquez (1860–1936)		1924	12 July 1924	3 March 1930		Red	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
			Rafael Estrella Ureña (1889–1945)	—	3 March 1930	16 August 1930		Republican	Minister of Interior and Police under Horacio Vásquez, assumed the presidency after coup d'état. Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
	100px		Rafael Trujillo (1891–1961)	1930	16 August 1930	16 August 1934	years	Confederation of Parties
				1934	16 August 1934	16 August 1938		PD
	100px		Jacinto Peynado (1878–1940)	1938	16 August 1938	7 March 1940		PD	Died in office. Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
	100px		Manuel de Jesús Troncoso (1878–1955)	—	7 March 1940	18 May 1942		PD	Vice-president under Jacinto Peynado, assumed the presidency after his death. Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
	100px		Rafael Trujillo (1891–1961)	1942	18 May 1942	16 August 1947		PD	Finished the presidential term of Jacinto Peynado ending on 16 August 1942.
				1947	16 August 1947	16 August 1952
	100px		Héctor Trujillo (1908–2002)	—	1 March 1951	1 October 1951		PD	Acting president.
				1952	16 August 1952	16 August 1957			Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
				1957	16 August 1957	3 August 1960			Resigned. Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo.
	100px		Joaquín Balaguer (1906–2002)	—	3 August 1960	31 December 1961		PD	Vice-president under Héctor Trujillo, assumed the presidency after his resignation. Puppet president of Rafael Trujillo until the assassination of Trujillo on 30 May 1961. Resigned.
		Council of State under President Joaquín Balaguer		—	1 January 1962	16 January 1962		—	Members: Joaquín Balaguer (President), Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly (Vice-president), Eduardo Read Barreras (Second Vice-president), Eliseo Pérez Sánchez, Nicolás Pichardo, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera. Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
		Civic-Military Junta under President Huberto Bogaert		—	16 January 1962	18 January 1962		Military	Members: Huberto Bogaert (President), Armando Óscar Pacheco, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera, Enrique Valdez Vidaurre, Wilfredo Medina Natalio, Neit Rafael Nivar Seijas.
		Council of State under President Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly		—	18 January 1962	27 February 1963		—	Members: Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly (President), Eduardo Read Barreras, Eliseo Pérez Sánchez, Nicolás Pichardo, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera, Donald Reid Cabral.
		Juan Bosch (1909–2001)		1962	27 February 1963	25 September 1963		PRD	Ousted from office by a coup d'état.
	100px	Víctor Elby Viñas Román (1925–2004)		—	25 September 1963	26 September 1963		Military	President of the Provisional Government Junta.
		Triumvirate under President Emilio de los Santos		—	26 September 1963	23 December 1963		Military	Members: Emilio de los Santos (President), Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat, Ramón Tapia Espinal.
		Triumvirate under President Donald Reid Cabral		—	23 December 1963	25 April 1965		Military	Members: Donald Reid Cabral (President), Ramón Tapia Espinal (resigned on 8 April 1964), Ramón Cáceres Troncoso (since 8 April 1964), Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat (resigned on 27 June 1964). Deposed during the Dominican Civil War.

Dominican Civil War (1965)

Main article: Dominican Civil War

	Faction	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
	—		Revolutionary Committee	25 April 1965			Members: Vinicio Fernández Pérez, Giovanni Gutiérrez Ramírez, Francisco Caamaño, Eladio Ramírez Sánchez, Pedro Bartolomé Benoit.
	Constitutionalist (Pro-Juan Bosch)	100px	José Rafael Molina Ureña (1921–2000)	25 April 1965	27 April 1965		Resigned.
		Vacant 27 April 1965 – 4 May 1965
		100px	Francisco Caamaño (1932–1973)	4 May 1965	3 September 1965		President appointed by the Congress. Resigned.
	Loyalist (Government)	Vacant 25 April 1965 – 1 May 1965
			Military Junta	1 May 1965	7 May 1965		Members: Pedro Bartolomé Benoit (President), Olgo Santana Carrasco, Enrique Apolinar Casado Saladín. Resigned.
			Government of National Reconstruction	7 May 1965	30 August 1965		Members: Antonio Imbert Barrera (President), Carlos Grisolía Poloney, Alejandro Zeller Cocco, Pedro Bartolomé Benoit, Julio Desiderio Postigo Arias (resigned on 10 August 1965), Leonte Bernard Vásquez (since 10 August 1965). Resigned.
		Vacant 30 August 1965 – 3 September 1965
	Transitional Government	100px	Héctor García-Godoy (1921–1970)	3 September 1965	1 July 1966		Interim President.

Fourth Republic (1966–present)

Main article: History of the Dominican Republic § Fourth Republic 1966–present

•   Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC)
•   Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD)
•   Dominican Liberation Party (PLD)
•   Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM)

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Political party	Notes
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Joaquín Balaguer (1906–2002)	1966	1 July 1966	16 August 1970		PRSC
			1970	16 August 1970	16 August 1974
			1974	16 August 1974	16 August 1978
	100px	Antonio Guzmán Fernández (1911–1982)	1978	16 August 1978	4 July 1982		PRD	Committed suicide.
		Jacobo Majluta Azar (1934–1996)	—	4 July 1982	16 August 1982		PRD	Vice-president under Antonio Guzmán, assumed the presidency to finish his term.
	100px	Salvador Jorge Blanco (1926–2010)	1982	16 August 1982	16 August 1986	years	PRD
	100px	Joaquín Balaguer (1906–2002)	1986	16 August 1986	16 August 1990	years	PRSC	After fraud charges in the elections of 1994, an agreement known as the Pact for Democracy (Pacto por la Democracia) was reached, which limited consecutive presidential terms to two terms.
			1990	16 August 1990	16 August 1994
			1994	16 August 1994	16 August 1996
	100px	Leonel Fernández (born 1953)	1996	16 August 1996	16 August 2000	years	PLD
	100px	Hipólito Mejía (born 1941)	2000	16 August 2000	16 August 2004	years	PRD
	100px	Leonel Fernández (born 1953)	2004	16 August 2004	16 August 2008	years	PLD
			2008	16 August 2008	16 August 2012
	100px	Danilo Medina (born 1951)	2012	16 August 2012	16 August 2016	years	PLD
			2016	16 August 2016	16 August 2020
	100px	Luis Abinader (born 1967)	2020	16 August 2020	Incumbent		PRM

Timeline from 1965

See also

• President of the Dominican Republic
• Vice President of the Dominican Republic
• Politics of the Dominican Republic