Miguel Teurbe Tolón

Miguel Teurbe Tolón, born on September 20, 1820, in Matanzas, Cuba, was a poet and playwright, and the creator of both Cuba’s coat of arms and the country’s flag. He advocated for Cuba’s independence and, in 1849, was declared an enemy of Spain and forced into exile in New York City. A Freemason, he served as the Latin affairs editor for the New York Herald. Six years later, he was granted amnesty and returned to Cuba. Teurbe Tolón died on November 16, 1857.