Biographical Note
José Ignacio Rodríguez (1831-1907) was a Cuban-American lawyer, writer, and teacher. Rodríguz left Cuba for political reasons, became an American citizen, and established himself in Washington, D.C., as a lawyer specializing in Latin American affairs. He studied law under Caleb Cushing and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court. He held the post of chief translator for the Bureau of American Republics and librarian of the Columbus Library. He served in various capacities for Mexico before the United States and Mexican Claims Commission, acted as secretary for the United States delegation to the International Congress of American States in Mexico in 1902, and was counsel for many claimants before several Spanish and American claims commissions, notably in the Antonio Mora, Julio Sanguily, and Delgado cases, and that of the Virginius affair.