Search Famous Puerto Ricans

Three-term Governor of Puerto Rico (1973-1977, 1985-1993) and one of the island's most influential political leaders. Known for his contributions to economic development, infrastructure, and public policy.

An honors graduate of Johns Hopkins Univ. (1956) and the Univ. of Puerto Rico law school (1959), he practiced law in Ponce, and was elected to the senate in 1968. He was a protégé of Luis Muñoz Marín. He served as president of the senate and as president of the Popular Democratic party. In 1972 he decisively defeated Gov. Luis Ferré to become, at 36, the island's youngest governor. He sponsored ambitious programs of economic development and housing construction, and he strongly opposed U.S. President Ford's wish to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. He wanted to make Puerto Rico less dependent economically on the United States.

Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor (1948–1964). Architect of Operation Bootstrap, which transformed Puerto Rico from an agrarian economy into an industrialized society.

Educated at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States, Muñoz Marín was once known as the New Deal's Golden Boy. Founder of Popular Democratic Party (1938). Although he had started out as a supporter of Puerto Rican independence, he later opted for the commonwealth status as economically more viable. Muñoz Marín worked closely with the U.S.-appointed governor, Rexford G. Tugwell, to improve housing, farming, and industrial conditions. He campaigned for land redistribution from large landowners to small farmers and claimed islanders were not yet ready for economic independence. The slogan "Bread, land, and liberty" won a large following among the poor. He began "Operation Bootstrap," to attract mainland business investment through the Puerto Rican Industrial Development Corporation. As Puerto Rico's first elected governor (1949-65), he helped draft its constitution and in 1952 presided over its attaining the status of a self-governing Commonwealth. He was reelected as governor three times; Muñoz Marin served in this post from 1949 to 1965. In 1960 his election was opposed by the Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, which denounced him for advocating the teaching of birth control; he was easily reelected despite the opposition. In December 1963 he received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. He did not run for reelection in 1964, but served once again in the Senate of Puerto Rico.

Born July 17, 1859 in Barranquitas. Died November 15, 1916 in San Juan. Leader of Puerto Rico's autonomy movement and father of Luis Muñoz Marín. He founded the newspaper La Democracia, which crusaded for Puerto Rican freedom from Spanish domination, later edited by his son Luis Munoz Marin. Munoz Rivera was president of Puerto Rico's Liberal Party and a leading spokesman for autonomy. A leader in the campaign for independence from Spain, he obtained (1897) a charter, which was never put into effect, that granted some autonomy to Puerto Ricans. He founded the Federal Party in Puerto Rico in 1899. Heading the first Puerto Rican cabinet under U.S. occupation, Muñoz Rivera opposed military governorship and pleaded for greater self-government. Faced with bitter opposition in Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City and published the Puerto Rico Herald, which expounded the island's problems. As resident commissioner of Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C. (1910-16), he obtained U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans. He died just before passage of the Jones Bill, for which he had fought. He is the best of the Puerto Rican lyricist and political poets. His most important work was his book of poems Tropicales.