Ricardo de Acosta


Ricardo de Acosta 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. His parents, both Spanish, were Joseph de Acosta and Maria de Acosta.
Ricardo spent most of his childhood travelling between Havana and Madrid.

Career

During the Cuban insurrection against Spain known as the Ten Years' War, and 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 instructor at Harvard University.
Several years later, he returned to Havana and acquired an interest in the Ward steamship line, which operated ships between New York City, Havana and the Gulf of Mexico. He invested in a sugar refining business.

Personal life

In 1871, de Acosta was married to Micaela Hernández de Alba y de Alba. Micaela, a socially prominent Spanish woman who was reputedly a relation of the Dukes of Alba. She was the only child of Rafael Lino Hernandez y Aloy and Rita Micaela Guadalupe Andrea Juana Hernandez de Alba, and inherited a million dollars. Together, they were the parents of eight children:
Ricardo died of heart disease on August 24, 1907 in New York City. His funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. His widow lived at 1037 Madison Avenue and, later, 830 Park Avenue. Micaela died at their daughter's home in Bedford Hills, New York in December 1921.