Wood, Leonard (1860-1927), was a United States soldier and colonial administrator. As military governor of Cuba from 1899 to 1902, he helped prepare Cubans for independence. Wood introduced political reforms based on U.S. laws and procedures. His troops trained and supervised Cubans in the building of roads and schools and in the cleaning of swamps and other mosquito-ridden areas to help stamp out yellow fever.
Wood was born on Oct. 9, 1860, in Winchester, New Hampshire. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1884 and soon afterward joined the Army Medical Corps. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, he was the first commander of the Rough Riders, a famous U.S. volunteer regiment. Theodore Roosevelt, who later led the regiment, served as his second-in-command.
Wood commanded the U.S. forces in the Philippines from 1906 to 1908. He helped modernize the U.S. Army as Army chief of staff from 1910 to 1914. In 1920, Wood sought the Republican presidential nomination without success. He served as governor general of the Philippines from 1921 until his death on Aug. 7, 1927.
