There are some men who were born to live the fast life. Porfirio Rubirosa was just one of those men. His good looks carried him through countries, careers, women, and his good looks shaped the course of not only Dominican history, but also international politics. If the Dos Equis guy were real, he'd want to be Rubirosa.
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| His penis is synonymous with "giant." |
The son of a Dominican military officer, Rubirosa was raised in France and had an impeccable command of the language; he also had knowledge of several other languages.
Upon reaching adulthood, Rubirosa returned to the Dominican Republic and joined the army. He was such a good tactician that the then-dictator Rafael Trujillo promoted him to: son in law.
Rubirosa spent time with her in NYC, and they survived on his poker winnings -- not a very desirable life for the young daughter of the most powerful dictator in the Caribbean.
Rubirosa's marriage to Trujillo's daughter would open a political world for him, and he later became a diplomat. Even when his marriage with Trujllo's daughter collapsed -- as would his next 4 marriages -- Trujillo eventually decided to bring him back into his circle, arguing: "He is a good liar and women like him."
As Junot Diaz has articulated, the Dominican Republic under Trujillo was a "culocracia," and ability to conquer women was a national requirement; Rubirosa was the best disciple.
Beyond being a "culocracia," The Dominican Republic under Trujillo had a policy of racial-cleansing.
Trujillo believed that the way for the DR to become a successful, first-world country would be by "whitening" itself. When Barack Obama was running for office, most Dominican commentators had no problem with his race. However, they had problems with Michelle, with some arguing that it didn't make sense for a good-looking guy with a Harvard degree to marry black.
Most Dominicans are of mixed-descent, and Rubirosa also most likely had African ancestry. However, his racially-neutral features caused much pandemonium in the tabloids of the time. Rubi -- as he was affectively called -- didn't respond to the rumors, and they didn't slow him down.
If you wanted to show success in Trujillo's island, a white woman on your arm would be the best thing next to a Ferrari; Rubirosa not only dated white women, he also raced Ferraris in between carrying out political assassinations.
It has never been proven, but the FBI suspected that Rubirosa was in some way involved with the death of Columbia researcher and dissident: Jesús Galíndez. Rubirosa's looks and access to elite places made him a valuable asset to the dictatorship, but he wasn't a man that was motivated by making money. He simply cared to spend it.
There are rumors that he stole a batch of jewels in Spain, but his ability to spend was facilitated by his marriages to wealthy women. He divorced the wealthiest women in the world, with massive settlements going to him, and on the day of his death was married to a young French actress.
Upon reaching adulthood, Rubirosa returned to the Dominican Republic and joined the army. He was such a good tactician that the then-dictator Rafael Trujillo promoted him to: son in law.
Rubirosa spent time with her in NYC, and they survived on his poker winnings -- not a very desirable life for the young daughter of the most powerful dictator in the Caribbean.
Rubirosa's marriage to Trujillo's daughter would open a political world for him, and he later became a diplomat. Even when his marriage with Trujllo's daughter collapsed -- as would his next 4 marriages -- Trujillo eventually decided to bring him back into his circle, arguing: "He is a good liar and women like him."
As Junot Diaz has articulated, the Dominican Republic under Trujillo was a "culocracia," and ability to conquer women was a national requirement; Rubirosa was the best disciple.
Beyond being a "culocracia," The Dominican Republic under Trujillo had a policy of racial-cleansing.Trujillo believed that the way for the DR to become a successful, first-world country would be by "whitening" itself. When Barack Obama was running for office, most Dominican commentators had no problem with his race. However, they had problems with Michelle, with some arguing that it didn't make sense for a good-looking guy with a Harvard degree to marry black.
Most Dominicans are of mixed-descent, and Rubirosa also most likely had African ancestry. However, his racially-neutral features caused much pandemonium in the tabloids of the time. Rubi -- as he was affectively called -- didn't respond to the rumors, and they didn't slow him down.
If you wanted to show success in Trujillo's island, a white woman on your arm would be the best thing next to a Ferrari; Rubirosa not only dated white women, he also raced Ferraris in between carrying out political assassinations.
It has never been proven, but the FBI suspected that Rubirosa was in some way involved with the death of Columbia researcher and dissident: Jesús Galíndez. Rubirosa's looks and access to elite places made him a valuable asset to the dictatorship, but he wasn't a man that was motivated by making money. He simply cared to spend it.
There are rumors that he stole a batch of jewels in Spain, but his ability to spend was facilitated by his marriages to wealthy women. He divorced the wealthiest women in the world, with massive settlements going to him, and on the day of his death was married to a young French actress.
Through his marriages he acquired a B52 bomber, but he was also shot in the kidney by the French Resistance after his partner gave a concert to the Germans in order to free him from captivity; Rubi spent time in Germany selling visas to Jews longing to flee to the safe haven of Sosua.
The common belief among many of his fans was that Rubirosa committed suicide. Rumors are that age was getting to the man, and that he could not contend with the failing function of his legendarily-sized penis. As to whether the car crash that took his life came about because of alcohol or because of some other depression, we shall never know. If he was truly an assassin, we may also never know. His death in a fiery crash on a French street was in many ways a summary of his life: speed, intrigue, fire, and danger.
