First Generation

1. Felix Jorge RIERA was born on 8 December 1887 in Ponce, PR.^1,2 According to his civil birth certificate, we were told, he was born at 7:30 AM in the home of his parents at Marina #12 in Ponce. He was baptized on 05 Mar 1888; godparents were Enrique Santaella and Aminta Perez. He died on 17 July 1958 at the age of 70 in Havana, Cuba. He is buried in Colon cemetery in Havana.

He first came to New York in 1904 with his mother. We were told Felix initially worked at a stock brokerage. The first company organized by the Riera brothers, Felix and Pelayo, was called Riera, Zumeta and Tous, Inc. and it was located at 40 Water Street in New York-- a five story building in lower Manhattan, which they soon owned. It quickly became apparent that Cuba represented their best market. In 1910, they incorporated in Cuba as Riera, Toro and Van Twistern, S.A. -- Toro being the Cuban partner, and Bill Van Twistern was a German friend and partner from New York. In the early days, both brothers lived in New York and alternated representing their firm in Havana. By the mid-1930s, Felix and Pelayo had bought out their partners and were sole owners of the company, with Felix spending most of his time in Havana.

Over the years, the Riera brothers’ Cuban import-export business thrived. Felix also was part-owner of Impresora P. Fernandez, the printing plant which produced the Cuban national lottery tickets and postage stamps. He also had an ownership interest in a rice plantation in Pinar del Rio province called Comunidad Arrocera Hato Quemado. Among other businesses, he owned were a foundry and a soap factory.

In addition to his home in the Miramar suburb of Havana, he owned an ocean-front beach house at Veradero, and a recreational farm called Juarisil in Caimito, west of Havana, where his next-door neighbor and close friend was Sgt. Fulgencio Bastista, the President/dictator of Cuba.