Buenaventura Báez was born into a family of wealthy merchants, during his childhood he was able to enjoy the advantages of a wealthy family, he studied in the best schools in his city. Already in his adolescence he traveled to France and continued there high school and even university.
Back in his country, he already began his interest in politics when he collaborated with the Haitian government, there he held the position of representative of the southern region. One of his first actions with respect to the government was to confront the Trinidadians under the command of Duarte, who were fighting against the foreign protectorate.
Once Duarte’s army came to power, Buenaventura Báez had to ask political asylum In Santo Domingo. Being out of politics he was one of the drafters of the Constitution of San Cristobal. He was president for the first time September 24, 1849, when Santiago Espaillat refused to accept the position. During these first years of mandate Buenaventura Báez retakes this support in foreign companies to stop certain invasive Haitian proposals.
After the end of his first government Buenaventura Báez began his second government in 1856 but this was not good for Dominican merchants since it presented quite drastic economic measures that even led to a revolution on the part of the merchants, which led to Báez to leave office.
Once restored, the republic returned to the presidency in 1865, but this time with a very short duration, only five months since the independent leaders did not agree that a man who supported the Spanish occupation should wear the presidential sash again. The government of the independents was short-lived and again Báez would sit in the presidential chair, but the Unionist Revolution ended his rule in 1874.
His last government was in 1876 and it lasted very little, shortly after and victim of a painful disease he died during his exile in Puerto Rico in 1884.