President of the Dominican Republic in the context of Héctor Trujillo

Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina (/truːˈhiːjoʊ/ troo-HEE-yoh; Spanish: [rafaˈel tɾuˈxiʝo]; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed "El Jefe" (Spanish: [el ˈxefe]; lit. 'The Boss'), was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He was the 36th and 39th president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952. He also served as the first generalissimo, the de facto most powerful position in the country at the time from 1930 until his assassination. Under that position, Trujillo served under figurehead presidents.

Trujillo's 31-year rule, the Trujillo Era (Spanish: El Trujillato or La Era de Trujillo), was one of the longest for a non-royal leader in the world, and centered around a personality cult of the ruling family. It was also one of the most brutal; Trujillo's security forces, including the infamous SIM, were responsible for perhaps as many as 50,000 murders. These included between 17,000 and 35,000 Haitians in the infamous Parsley massacre in 1937, which continues to affect Dominican-Haitian relations to this day.

Juan Emilio Bosch y Gaviño (30 June 1909 – 1 November 2001), also known as El Profesor (Spanish for the Teacher), was a Dominican politician, historian, writer of short stories and novels, essayist, educator, and the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic for seven months in 1963.

Previously he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo for over 25 years. He is remembered as an honest politician and regarded as one of the most prominent writers in Dominican literature. He helped found the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) in 1939, and left it in 1973 to found the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).

Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (1 September 1906 – 14 July 2002) was a Dominican politician, scholar, writer, and lawyer who was the 41st, 45th and 49th president of the Dominican Republic serving three non-consecutive terms from 1960 to 1962, 1966 to 1978, and 1986 to 1996. He previously served as the 24th vice president under President Héctor Trujillo from 1957 to 1960.

His enigmatic, secretive personality was inherited from the Trujillo era, as well as his desire to perpetuate himself in power through dubious elections and state terrorism, and he was considered to be a caudillo. His regime of terror claimed 11,000 victims who were either tortured or forcibly disappeared and killed. Nevertheless, Balaguer was also considered to be instrumental in the liberalization of the Dominican government, and his time as leader of the Dominican Republic saw major changes such as legalized political activities, surprise army promotions and demotions, promoting health and education improvements and instituting modest land reforms.

The Third Dominican Republic was a predecessor of the Dominican Republic and existed from 12 July 1924 with the departure of American troops after the end of the first American occupation, until 1 July 1966 when Joaquín Balaguer became President of the Dominican Republic. De facto the Third Republic ended on 28 April 1965 with the US occupation. This period is also known as the Age of Trujillo, because of the strong influence exerted by the totalitarian and autocratic Trujillo regime over much of these 41 years.

Elías Wessin y Wessin (July 22, 1924 – April 18, 2009) was a Dominican politician and air force general. Wessin led the military coup which ousted the government of Dominican President Juan Bosch in 1963, replacing it with a triumvirate. He was also a key figure in the ensuing Dominican Civil War, which led to a United States military intervention into and occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.

The vice president of the Dominican Republic (Spanish: Vicepresidente de la República Dominicana) is the second-highest political position in the Dominican Republic. The vice president is the first person in the presidential line of succession, ascending to the presidency upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president. There have been thirty-nine vice presidents of the Dominican Republic. Under the Constitution of the Dominican Republic, the vice president shall be elected along with the president.

Since the independence of the Dominican Republic in 1844 until 1865, what is considered the First Republic, there were no constitutional vice presidents. Yet, during that time there were acting vice presidents; this was under the rule of Pedro Santana.

Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (November 15, 1846 – May 9, 1919) was a Dominican Republic political figure. He served as the president of the Dominican Republic between 15 November 1899 and 2 May 1902, and again between 5 December 1914 and 7 May 1916.

Jimenes was one of the main leaders of the Los Bolos, Blue party or Jimenistas, opposed to the Los Coludos or Horacistas, led by Horacio Vásquez.