Emilio Prud’Home

Emilio Prud'Homme y Maduro (August 20, 1856 - July 21, 1932) was a Dominican lawyer, writer, and educator. Prud'Homme is known for having authored the lyrics of the Dominican national anthem. He is also attributed with helping establish a national identity, for what was at the time a nascent republic.

Biography Emilio Prud'Homme was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on August 20, 1856, to Ana Maduro and Gen. Pedro Prud'Homme. He had a brother, Lorenzo Fenelón Prud'Homme. He also served as the Secretary of Justice and Social Instruction in the administration of Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal. Prud’Homme was publicly critical of the United States occupation and as a result was forced to resign his teaching post. As a result, he pursued a career as a lawyer.

Writing career Most of his literary works were directed to the exaltation of patriotic values, respect and love for the defense of sovereignty and national independence.

His magnum opus being the Dominican National Anthem, which was written in 1883, with music by José Rufino Reyes y Siancas. He later modified his work in 1897, when it began to be used at official state functions. Yet, it was not officially the National Anthem until 1934, when then dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo consecrated it as a national symbol and made mandatory its use at state and public functions.