Ricardo de Acosta was a Cuban steamship-line executive and sugar refiner.
Born
July 8, 1837
Died
August 24, 1907
Overview
Ricardo de Acosta (July 8, 1837 – August 24, 1907) was a Cuban steamship-line executive and sugar refiner.
Early life
Ricardo was born on July 8, 1837, in Matanzas, the capital of the Cuban Matanzas Province (although often written that he was born in Havana). His parents, both Spanish, were Joseph de Acosta and Maria de Acosta.
Acosta spent most of his childhood travelling between Havana and Madrid.
Career
During the Cuban insurrection against Spain, known as the Ten Years' War, Acosta sided with the Cuban rebels, known as the Patriots. Reportedly, he was "arrested and with twenty others was lined up on a cliff to be executed by firing squad," but escaped by jumping into the sea and boarding a nearby American ship headed towards Boston. Once he arrived in Boston, he accepted a position as a Spanish language instructor at Harvard University.
