Francisco Sánchez y Betancourt was born in Puerto Príncipe (now
Camagüey),
Spanish Cuba, on January 31, 1827. His lineage traced back to one of the region's most prominent families.
Ten Years' War In October 1868, as the
Ten Years' War broke out, Sánchez aligned himself with the uprising against Spanish control. The Camagüey region was represented by the Assembly of Representatives of the Center (), which emerged from the Revolutionary Committee of Camagüey under
Salvador Cisneros Betancourt. Its members, including Sánchez, advocated for a more decisive policy than
Céspedes' decree. On February 26, 1869, in Camagüey, he joined Salvador Cisneros Betancourt,
Antonio Zambrana,
Eduardo Agramonte Piña, and
Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz in signing the Decree of Abolition of Slavery (). When Céspedes called for a
constitutional convention to be held on April 10, 1869, Sánchez Betancourt took part in the
Guáimaro Assembly as a delegate of Camagüey. He was elected a member of the
House of Representatives. ==Death==