Jose Francisco Pena Gomez; Advocate for Poor

Jose Francisco Pena Gomez, 61, whose advocacy for the poor helped prompt a U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic. Born to Haitian immigrants, the black future politician was adopted by a Dominican family and earned a doctorate in law at the University of Santo Domingo. Pena Gomez made his name in 1965 by going on radio and inciting a popular uprising over the ouster of leftist leader Juan Bosch. President Lyndon B. Johnson sent 23,000 Marines to prevent a Cuban-style revolution. With U.S. backing, a conservative former president, Joaquin Balaguer, was elected in 1966. Pena Gomez served as mayor of Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital, from 1982 to 1986. Although he tried three times, he never achieved his dream of becoming president of his country. On Sunday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, of cancer.