United States consul in San Juan. Together with Latimer, who was also a sugar broker, he founded Latimer & Fernández Co. The company, which was located in San Juan, was a distributor of sugar, molasses and rum, and also dealt with other commodities such as food and textiles. In 1827, Fernández ordered his 127 slaves to build an enormous windmill shaped like a tower. The windmill helped to extract the juice from the sugar canes. He still used manpower whenever the wind wasn't strong enough for to operate the windmill. The senior Fernández did the same with his other plantation in Manati, which he named Hacienda La Esperanza. According to Puerto Rican historian Federico Ribes Tovar, there were many instances when rival tribes in Africa would kidnap royal members of another tribe and sell them to slave traders. This was the case of one of Fernández's slave in 1832. He noticed that the slave in question received special treatment from his other slaves. When he found out about the slave's royal lineage, he sent him back to Africa. Fernández married Clemencia Dorado y Serrano. They had four daughters, the youngest of whom died young. Their later marriages reflected the family's international connections: one daughter, Barbara, married the nephew of American George Latimer; another daughter married an Englishman. In 1834, Fernández decided to concentrate on his commercial interests instead of the agricultural ones. He established a warehouse in the town of Mayaguez on the west coast, where he moved with his family. It was for shipping to the Caribbean and Latin America. Political life Fernández became president of the "Partido Incondicional Español" (Unconditional Spanish Party), a conservative political party in Puerto Rico. He was appointed to several political positions. Because of his political views and status, he was in good political standing with Queen Isabella II of Spain and the Spanish-appointed government of the island; he favored the monarchy and the Spanish colonial government. He became involved with various businesses. In 1850, used his political influence to lobby for the establishment of a railroad line between San Juan and Arecibo, with the financial backing of Augusto de Cottes and Cornelio Kortwright. The improved transportation would help planters get their commodities to market. Marqués de La Esperanza An 1868 uprising against the monarchs of Spain forced Queen Isabella II to go into exile in September of that year. This revolt, which deposed