Fidel Castro was 15th President of Cuba.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz ( [ fiˈðel aleˈhandɾo ˈkastɾo ˈrus ] ; August 13 , 1926 -- November 25 , 2016 ) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008 .