Rafael Trujillo on Zippos — LighterGallery.com

RAFAEL TRUJILLO ON ZIPPOS

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina or "El Jefe" (1891 – 1961) ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952, ruling for the rest of his tenure as an unelected military dictator. His tyranny, historically known as "La Era de Trujillo" ("The Trujillo Era"), is considered one of the bloodiest of the 20th century, with a secret police force that tortured and murdered the opposition to his rule. Trujillo used his political control to obtain great personal wealth. He achieved support from the United States by becoming Latin America's leading anti-communists. Cordell Hull, US Secretary of State referring to Trujillo said "He may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he is our son-of-a-bitch." Rafael Trujillo was ultimately seen as a threat to the United States, became a target for CIA's Black Operations and was assassinated in May 1961.

The lighters below depict members of the Trujillo family on one side, and a graphic of a four-masted sailing ship on the other which at the time was named the "Angelita". The reverse is engraved with an image of "Yate Angelita", a famed four-masted luxury yacht built in 1931 and owned by E. F. Hutton and his wife Marjorie Merriweather Post and which is still sailing today as Sea Cloud. All of the Trujillo family member Zippo lighters are engraved with the same image of Yate Angelita. The Sea Cloud is currently the world's oldest ocean going passenger ship.

1958 slim Zippo with the image of Rafael Trujillo and the seal of the Dominican Republic "Dios Patria Libertad - Republica Dominicana" on the reverse.  All of the Zippos of family members below are full-sized — 1958 slim Zippo with the image of Rafael Trujillo and the seal of the Dominican Republic "Dios Patria Libertad - Republica Dominicana" on the reverse. All of the Zippos of family members below are full-sized

1958 Zippo with the image of Rafael Trujillo's third wife Maria de los Angeles Martínez Alba, also known as "la españolita"

1958 Zippo with an image of Rafael Trujillo's son Rafael Leonidas "Ramfis" who took control of the Dominican Republic in May 1961 following his father's assassination. He was  forced into exile late in 1961, when he attempted to flee back to Ca… — 1958 Zippo with an image of Rafael Trujillo's son Rafael Leonidas "Ramfis" who took control of the Dominican Republic in May 1961 following his father's assassination. He was forced into exile late in 1961, when he attempted to flee back to Cannes, France, along with all of the surviving members on the yacht Angelita with his father's casket onboard, which was allegedly lined with $4 million in cash, jewels and important papers. The yacht was forced to turn back before arriving in France

1958 Zippo Rafael Trujillo's mother Altagracia Julia Molina Chevalier, also known as "Mamá Julia"

1958 Zippo with Rafael Trujillo's daughter María de los Angeles, or "Angelita" the name sake of the famous yacht

1958 Zippo with image of Rafael Trujillo's second son Leonidas Rhadamés who along with his older brother Ramfis and were named after characters in Verdi's opera Aida