Soldier; man of affairs; administrator.

Ernesto Asbert was born in the town of Consolación del Sur in the Province of Pinar del Rio on the first of May, 1873, and took the early courses leading to the Bachelor's degree in the private Colegio of the Society " La Unión " in his native place. But the student's life made an indifferent appeal to his energetic nature and he left books to devote himself to business.

When the Revolution broke out in 1895 Asbert prepared to take part in it and on January 9, 1896, joined the forces of Col. Antonio Nuñez with the rank of Captain. During the remainder of the war he fought under the command of the Commander in-chief Máximo Gómez, under that of General Antonio Maceo, and for part of the time under that of General Adolfo del
Castillo, the scene of his activities being the Province of Havana, where he obtained his promotion to the rank of Colonel on the 24th of August, 1898.

With the close of the war he turned his attention to politics. His first office was that of Chief of Municipal Police for Guines. At the same time he served also as Secretary of the Liquidating Commissions (Commission for settling soldiers' claims) of the Fifth Corps of the Army. In 1904 Col. Asbert was elected Member of the Council for the Province of Havana, and in 1908 he was elected Governor of the Province of. Havana, in which post he was active in improving roads, bridges, and all means of communication so as to increase the traffic and add to the resources of all parts of the province.

Some years ago the Congress of Cuba passed a special act of amnesty designed, it was said, to clear Gen. Asbert's name and exculpate him from the charge of manslaughter on which he had been tried.

Gen. Asbert has interested himself in publications: he was the founder of the newspaper El Independiente of Guines and has had a share in establishing and developing some of the papers of the Capital.