Hipólito Mejía

[10] Mejía Domínguez was born on 22 February 1941 at the José María Cabral y Báez Hospital in Santiago de los Caballeros, as the first child of Hipólito de Jesús ‘Polín’ Mejía Díaz and María Josefa ‘Marina’ Domínguez Viñals, both native of La Chichigua in Gurabo, place where he was raised.In his hometown he is known as Cabuyita, diminutive for cabuya (Latin American Spanish for "Agave twine"), because of the long blond straight hair that he had during his youth.[11][12] Mejía received a high school diploma from the Loyola Polytechnic Institute in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, graduating in 1962.In 2000, Mejía ran for president as the candidate of the left leaning Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) on a program to increase health, education, and social security services through tax hikes.During Mejía’s term, the country's second largest privately held commercial bank, Baninter, collapsed in a spectacular failure tied to long-standing political corruption.During his term, Mejía attempted to spread government resources and services to thousands of smaller, rural communities scattered around the country instead of the traditional efforts to concentrate on big cities (where most voters live).He established the country's first social security type retirement system, and created a fixed advanced corporate tax of 1.5% to aid in government revenue collection.While holding the seat of Head of State, Mejía actively sought to change the then current constitution in order for it to allow consecutive presidential re-elections.
Mejia in a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld in the Pentagon .
Hipólito Mejía (right) with Donald Rumsfeld (left)
Coat of arms of Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez as Knight Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, attributed by Spain.
Spanish namesurnameHis ExcellencyPresident of the Dominican RepublicVice PresidentMilagros Ortiz BoschLeonel FernándezAntonio GuzmánJacobo MajlutaSantiago de los CaballerosDominican RepublicModern Revolutionary PartyDominican Revolutionary PartyRosa Altagracia Gómez AriasJuan Isidro Jimenes GrullónAlma materNorth Carolina State UniversityGuraboDominicanIraq Warpresidential election of 2004Dominican Liberation PartyLatin American Spanishstraight hairLoyola Polytechnic InstituteSan Cristóbal, Dominican RepublicRosa Gómez Ariasthird cousinCarolina Mejía de GarrigóAntonio Guzmán Fernándezagri-businessJosé Francisco Peña Gómez2000 presidential electionDanilo MedinaJoaquín BalaguerDonald H. RumsfeldPentagonDonald RumsfeldBaninterInternational Monetary FundRamón Báez FigueroaRamsey Clark2004 presidential election2012 presidential electionconstitutiona city in Puerto Ricocousin marriagesGreen DayWarningWayback MachinePontifical Catholic University Mother and TeacherPontificia Universidad Católica Madre y MaestraThe New York TimesPenn, Schoen & BerlandPresidents of the Dominican RepublicSantanaM. JimenesB. BáezRegla MotaValverdeSpanish occupation (1861–1865)Restoration War (1863–1865)SalcedoPolancoPimentelJ. CabralP. GuillermoGonzálezEspaillatM. CabralC. GuillermoCastroLuperónMeriñoHeureauxBilliniWoss y GilFiguereoVásquezJ. JimenesMoralesCáceresVictoriaBordasR. BáezHenríquezUnited States occupation (1916–1924)ViciniEstrellaR. TrujilloPeynadoTroncosoH. TrujilloBalaguerBonnellyFirst TriumvirateSecond TriumvirateMolinaCaamañoBenoitImbertGarcía GodoyGuzmánMajlutaJorge BlancoFernándezMedinaAbinaderDominican Civil War