Eduardo Machado Gómez was born on October 20, 1838, in Santa Clara, then part of the current province of Villa Clara, into a wealthy family. Frail in physique, he suffered from an aneurysm from a young age. He received his primary education at the school of the poet Eligio Cabero and later traveled to Boston, USA, at the age of 20 to further his studies. Subsequently, he moved to Europe, visiting several countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland, before settling in Paris to study civil engineering. There, he mastered French and learned German.
During breaks, he traveled to Spain and Italy, spending time in Pisa. In 1863, he relocated to Germany to continue his engineering studies while also taking lessons in Hebrew and Russian. He visited Russia in 1864 and, upon returning to Germany, published his book Cuba and the Liberation of the Slaves, followed by Plácido, the Poet and Martyr.
In 1866, he returned to his hometown due to his mother’s illness and co-founded the newspaper La Época with his friend Salvador Domínguez, using it as a platform to promote culture and political awareness. He led strong journalistic campaigns and defended the rights of his former teacher Nicolasa and the poet Cabero. In April 1867, he returned to Europe, revisiting many countries.
Role in the Cuban Revolution
After returning to Cuba and settling his mother’s estate, he joined the revolutionary movement through the Villa Clara Revolutionary Council. On February 6, 1869, he enlisted in the revolution in San Gil and later at the "El Capital" farm owned by José González, where he became a member of the Government Council alongside Miguel Jerónimo Gutiérrez, Arcadio S. García, Tranquilino Valdés, and Antonio Lorda.
He advocated for advancing westward to destroy sugar mills in Colón and Cárdenas (Matanzas Province) to incite enslaved people to rebel and march toward Havana. However, the Council decided to direct Villa Clara’s forces toward Camagüey and Oriente.
At the Guáimaro Assembly, he was elected Deputy Secretary of the House of Representatives and later became the First Secretary General on July 26, 1869. He fiercely opposed Cuba’s annexation to the United States, calling it "political suicide." He was a key figure in the ousting of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes from the presidency on October 27, 1873, in Bijagual.
On November 8, 1873, he was elected Vice President of the Council and later assumed its presidency on July 24, 1874. He proposed adopting the flag raised by Narciso López in Cárdenas in 1850 as the official national flag—a motion unanimously approved. The flag was handmade in Santa Clara by patriot Inés Morillo at Machado’s request and accompanied fighters in battles, including the uprisings of San Gil and González’s "El Capital," as well as the Guáimaro Assembly.
On May 5, 1875, he met General Vicente García in Potosí to negotiate with rebels at Laguna de Varona, who had presented demands since April 26. Though no final resolution was reached, he reduced their demands from eight to four. By mid-1875, he stepped down as Council President but remained a member until March 20, 1876, when he was re-elected President. He later returned as Vice President on January 22, 1877.
Death in Battle
In late 1877, as the Council’s situation deteriorated, he enlisted as a soldier in the "Agramonte" Cavalry Regiment under Colonel Enrique Loynaz de Mola. On October 16, 1877, during a clash with Spanish troops led by Colonel Otero at Arroyo Colorado (Camagüey), he was fatally shot.
His body was taken to Puerto Príncipe, where Spanish soldiers identified him as the Vice President of the House of Representatives. He was buried in the family tomb of his fiancée, Adela Machado Batista. The last surviving member of the Villa Clara Revolutionary Council, there is no confirmed record of him holding any military rank.
