Desiderio Alberto Arnaz II
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y Alberni II was a Cuban politician and the father of Desi Arnaz.
Early life
He was the son of Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y Alberni, a medical doctor, and Rosa Alberni y Portuondo, a member of the Cuban nobility and the great-granddaughter of a mayor of Santiago de Cuba, José Joaquín Portuondo y Rizo, 1st Conde de Santa Inés. He graduated in 1913 from the Southern College of Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, and would begin his career as a medical doctor.
Politics
Arnaz was the youngest mayor of Santiago de Cuba. He was elected to the Cuban House of Representatives in November 1932 for the Oriente Province. When president Gerardo Machado was overthrown in August 1933, Rep. Arnaz was arrested and jailed. Six months later, he was allowed to go into exile.
Marriages and children
Arnaz married Dolores "Lolita" de Acha y de Socias in 1916 and had one son, Desiderio "Desi" Arnaz III. However, his marriage to Dolores ended in divorce after they began living in the U.S. He later adopted Connie Arnaz, the daughter of Anne M. Wilson, whom he married in 1941.
Death
Arnaz died in 1973 in Miami, Florida. He is entombed above President Machado at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum.