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1897–1994 · Ceiba · Politics • Public Service

Born January 9, 1897 in Ceiba. Died September 16, 1994 in San Juan. Known affectionately as Doña Fela, Felisa Rincón de Gautier was a political leader, women's rights advocate, and longtime mayor of San Juan. Born in Ceiba, she assisted Luis Muñoz Marín in forming the Popular Democratic Party in the 1930s, but was best known for being the first woman mayor of San Juan (1946-1969). Her weekly open-houses at her official residence and such gestures as flying snow to San Juan for children's Christmas parties made her enormously popular. In 1953 the League of American Women gave her its Woman of the Year Award. She was widely respected for programs benefiting children, older adults, and underserved communities.