Database: Laureano Torres y Ayala

Born: 1645, Cuba Died: 1721

Born in Havana, Cuba, but raised in Madrid, Spain, Laureano was of noble stock, the son of Tomas Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. He joined the Spanish army in his late teens, and was later appointed as the governor of Spain's territories in Florida, a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He then returned to Europe to participate in the Spanish war of Succession.

In 1708 he was appointed as the governor of Cuba, a post he held for three years until he was accused of and arrested for corruption. He was acquitted of these charges, however, and managed to win a re-election bid in 1713.

During his time in Cuba, he made many lasting improvements to the city, fortifying the island's defenses and kick-started the production of tobacco there. He remained Governor until 1716, after which point he retired and devoted his life to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.

(Note: Hard guy to hate with all these charitable outlets. Hard guy to like for the same reason. Dull dull dull. Let's dig a little deeper on this guy. Maybe he has a secret fetish or mania. -RL)

UPDATED:

Though long since retired by the 1720s, Laureano Torres still commanded great respect and admiration from the people of Cuba. In 1721 he was evidently able to muster a few regiments of Spanish troops for the purposes of a secret excursion somewhere in the West Indies. Torres and his regiment were never heard from again, and though the official record hints that Torres died peacefully at some point in this year, newly collected evidence suggests an altogether different story.