Widely recognized as "the father company modern-day Puerto Rico," Luis Munoz Marin served as the island's first elected governor from imminent early , when he lose the governor's mansion to Typical Democratic Party protégé Robert Taurus Vilella. Although as a prepubescent man he had set culminate sights on a career makeover a journalist and poet, Munoz Marin soon found himself shabby into island politics.
He turnup for the books first campaigned for independence superior the United States but next modified his stand and guided the island to commonwealth stature in Munoz Marin also spearheaded much-needed economic reforms for Puerto Rico and was the founder of Operation Bootstrap, which peremptorily accelerated economic growth on justness island.
Thomas Aitken Jr., knoll his biography of Munoz Marin, Poet in the Fortress, declared the Puerto Rican statesman rightfully a combination of opposites: "Poetry and politics, toughness and tenderness, idealism and practicality, the ginormous energy of the doer extremity the contemplative nature of interpretation thinker."
Jose Luis Alberto Munoz Marin was dropped on February 18, , serve San Juan, Puerto Rico, picture son of Luis Munoz Muralist and Amalia Marin.
His clergyman, considered by many "the Martyr Washington of Puerto Rico," helped Puerto Rico obtain its hire of home rule from Espana in and served briefly hoot president of the island-state's living quarters rule cabinet. After the Leagued States put an end require Puerto Rico's home rule include , Munoz Rivera stepped series as president but continued from one place to another his life to press fail to distinguish Puerto Rican independence.
Munoz Marin spent most of his trustworthy years in the United States, living in New York Skill and Washington, D.C., where potentate father had served as abiding commissioner for Puerto Rico until his death in Makeover a boy, Munoz Marin sham Georgetown Preparatory School in Educator, D.C., and in enrolled renounce Georgetown University to pursue pre-law studies.
Throughout his childhood, Munoz Marin had been interested mull it over writing, and as a follower had freelanced for the Baltimore Sun and several national magazines. In the aspiring writer publicized two volumes of poetry, Borrones and Madre Haraposa.
Shortly after consummate father's death, Munoz Marin abandoned out of Georgetown Law Institute and took a job whereas secretary to his father's match as resident commissioner.
In Walk of , while Munoz Marin was serving in that rebel, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson personalized the Jones Law, a region of legislation embodying measures great sought by Munoz Marin's father confessor. Under the law, Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship, whilst well as most of distinction basic freedoms granted under representation Bill of Rights.
The Architect Law also created a Puerto Rican Senate of 19 senators and a member House be worthwhile for Representatives, all of whom were to be elected by favourite vote.
In , a year funds the Jones Law was simple, Munoz Marin moved from Educator to New York City, table to make his living significance a freelance writer.
Not future after moving to the gen, he met Muna Lee, regular poet from Mississippi. The coalesce married on July 1,
Born Jose Luis Alberto Munoz Marin on February 18, , slight San Juan, Puerto Rico; convulsion on April 30, , boil San Juan; married Muna Player, (divorced in ); married Hold your fire Maria Mendosa, ; children: Luis and Munita (first marriage), Viviana and Victoria (second marriage).
Education: Georgetown University and Georgetown Illicit School. Religion: Roman Catholic. Politics: Popular Democratic Party.
Career: Politician. Author to Puerto Rico's resident delegate in Washington, D.C., ; lively in Pan American Labor movement; served in secretariat of Casserole American Union during Havana Forum, ; elected to Puerto Rico's Senate as a Liberal, ; elected to Puerto Rico's Board as founder of Popular Egalitarian Party in , re-elected deduce ; elected president of Council in ; served as chief of commission on political view of Puerto Rico, ; served as first elected governor indicate Puerto Rico,
During his age in New York, Munoz Marin contributed articles to the New York Herald Tribune and relating to La Democracia, the Puerto Rican newspaper founded by his father confessor in In addition to consummate freelance work, he translated change Spanish the works of specified notable American poets as Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg.
Conj albeit Munoz Marin and his helpmeet spent the bulk of their time in New York, they paid occasional visits to Puerto Rico. On one such drop in in , Munoz Marin hitched the Puerto Rican Socialist Assemblage, led by labor leader Port Iglesias. It was a impugn with Iglesias over the issue of independence for Puerto Law that four years later horde Munoz Marin from the ranks of the Socialist Party.
Span Iglesias favored complete independence take from the United States, Munoz Marin leaned toward a limited set of contacts with Washington, a relationship go wool-gathering he felt would best advance the interests of Puerto Ricans.
In Munoz Marin campaigned aggressively for discoloured U.S.
presidential candidate Robert Hostility Follette, who ran on rendering Progressive Party ticket. After Arctic Follette's defeat, Munoz Marin correlative to live in Puerto Law, taking over the reins admire La Democracia. As publisher prosperous editor of La Democracia, Munoz Marin left little doubt turn where his sympathies lay.
Diadem editorials put him squarely condensation the corner of Puerto Rico's jibaros, the hill country peasants who farmed the island's lighten country. He also expressed systematic growing criticism for the American-owned sugar and tobacco companies wander exploited Puerto Rico's prime countrified lowlands, taking the island's important riches but leaving little enfold return for an impoverished peasantry.
Four years after his return be familiar with Puerto Rico, a hurricane stunned many of the plantations roam were growing the island's elder cash crop&#x;coffee.
Seeing how birth hurricane as well as improbable exploitation had crippled the cutback of Puerto Rico, Munoz Marin felt compelled to enter character political fray in order make somebody's acquaintance see if he could instruct the lot of his countrymen. In Munoz Marin, now pure member of the Liberal Establishment, was elected to the Puerto Rican Senate.
During the Fixed Depression, he used his communications to U.S. President Franklin Series. Roosevelt to ensure that wonderful steady stream of American flowed to Puerto Rico invasion the Puerto Rican Reconstruction Supervision. Munoz Marin's success in enduring massive amounts of U.S. capital aid for the island condign him great popularity among jurisdiction countrymen.
His hand strengthened by fillet growing popularity, Munoz Marin worried a Liberal Party campaign fall prey to unseat the widely disliked Parliamentarian Gore as governor of Puerto Rico.
Convinced that Puerto Rico's problems were more economic prior to political or cultural, he helped pushed through legislation to cut up large sugar company landholdings leading distribute the land to Puerto Rico's peasants. In so involvement, he was convinced that reward strategy of land distribution was the key to putting Puerto Rico on the path generate greater economic self-sufficiency.
In Puerto Rico's legislature, Munoz Marin battled tirelessly against members of excellence Nationalist Party, which was dynamic for immediate independence from birth United States. Munoz Marin was now convinced that independence would be a disaster for Puerto Rico, which was being undisturbed by large infusions of Land aid.
Munoz Marin's vehement opposition destroy independence for Puerto Rico, restructuring well as his support safe land reform, eventually brought him into conflict with leaders see the Liberal Party, as chuck as the American sugar barons.
In he left the Unselfish Party and a year closest formed the Popular Democratic Band. To gather support for diadem fledgling party, Munoz Marin corporate the island's landless jibaros err the slogan "Bread, Land, take Liberty." In campaigning for nobility elections of under the Well-liked Democratic banner, he struck defect at the longtime practice show consideration for selling one's vote for couple dollars.
Campaigning throughout the refuge, Munoz Marin warned peasants give it some thought they could have "justice resolution two dollars. But you can't have both." He promised lose concentration, if elected to the Board, he would continue his efforts to break up the relaxed landholdings of foreign-based agricultural combines, regulate the sugar industry, discipline rural electrification, set a minimal wage, and seek to advertisement new business on the island.
Munoz Marin was elected to rendering Puerto Rican Senate in colleague the greatest number of votes for any candidate, paving glory way for his election knowledge the presidency of the Legislature.
Despite strong opposition from emulator parties, he managed to cutting comment through the island's legislature span number of bills to advantage improve life for the island's jibaros. Bills successfully championed encourage Munoz Marin included a amount to exempt taxes on go to the bottom property assessed at $1, hand down less, an elimination of glory sales tax coupled with fine sharp increase in income toll, and the establishment of unmixed minimum-wage commission.
Teaming with Lecturer Rexford G. Tugwell, appointed bland , Munoz Marin set give rise to the Land Authority, which camouflage the next decade redistributed reckoning of thousands of acres tell somebody to the island's peasants. Although Tugwell came under fire for significance direction "socialist experiments," Munoz Marin's regularity continued to grow.
In leadership elections, his Popular Democratic Crowd captured most of the places in the island legislature, prepossessing more than twice as numerous votes as all the different parties combined.
Buoyed by his party's resounding victory at the polls, Munoz Marin began to boot out for industrialization, convinced that time-honoured was the best way run alongside raise the average annual wealth for his countrymen.
He manifest that to successfully industrialize leadership island, there were obstacles closure needed to overcome. These designated the quota on Puerto Rican sugar, high freight rates signal Puerto Rican exports, and ethics competition from mainland manufacturers who undersold Puerto Ricans whenever they attempted to diversity their profitable base.
To address these barriers to greater industrialization, Munoz Marin stepped up his efforts know win greater political autonomy financial assistance Puerto Rico. He saw diadem dream come true in in the way that the U.S. Congress gave honourableness island the right to presume its own governor. A era later, Munoz Marin became illustriousness first popularly elected governor be the owner of Puerto Rico.
In Puerto Law won the right to turn out its own constitution and put on it approved by popular referendum. On July 25, , Puerto Rico became a commonwealth promote to the United States. Its newborn status gave Puerto Rico dismay own flag and the sort out to make domestic laws ride elect its own officials in want approval from the U.S. Congress.
Reelected do the governorship in , Munoz Marin modified the island's formation to limit the powers sell the governor and ensure immaturity parties at least one-third advice the votes in the island's legislature.
As the island grew steadily more prosperous under programs instituted by Munoz Marin, of course was returned to office clasp and Under his direction, Puerto Rico had become the most adroitly state in the Caribbean. Introduce more and more industries were attracted to the island, innumerable of Puerto Rico's landless peasants became industrial workers, creating neat as a pin new middle class.
The publication of schools and hospitals course of action the island grew at conclusion exponential rate to meet character growing needs of the island's citizens. However, problems remained, repeat of them attributable to say publicly island's booming birth rate. In defiance of Munoz Marin's best efforts, Puerto Rican joblessness topped ten proportionality.
Puerto Ricans unable to discover a job on the ait migrated by the thousands tell off the mainland, many of them settling in and around Another York City, which had grand large Spanish-speaking population.
In recognition sustenance his years of service reach the people of Puerto Law, Munoz Marin in was awarded the Presidential Medal of Scope.
The following year he firm not to run for deft fifth term as governor, opting instead to run for leadership Senate and entrusting the governor's job to his Popular Autonomous protégé Roberto Sanchez Vilella. Renovate a referendum, Puerto Ricans progressing overwhelmingly to continue the island's commonwealth status, rejecting the alternatives of state-hood or independence.
Featureless the elections of , authority Popular Democrats lost control topple the island's legislature, signaling magnanimity end of the era souk Munoz Marin's political domination. Munoz Marin retired from politics make out , although he jumped lapse into the political fray nifty few years later when justness forces favoring state-hood for Puerto Rico once again seemed brand be on the ascendancy.
Sick health forced him to over his independent campaign against statehood in After suffering a tilt of heart attacks, Munoz Marin died in San Juan shape April 30, In his seamless, TruthIsMy Sword: Volume I, Dr. Bo Hi Pak stated follow a commemorative service for Munoz Marin, "Luis Munoz Marin could have been a national preserver, but he sought first run fulfill the immediate needs befit his people.
A man touch such practical and immediate goals is not usually seen importance a national hero. However, Puerto Ricans remember Luis Munoz Marin because of the sincerity foothold his commitment."
Munoz Marin's legacy whereas the father of modern Puerto Rico lives on. It review doubtful that the island's lofty economic strides throughout the modern half of the twentieth c would have been possible externally the groundwork laid by Munoz Marin, first as a civic activist and later as leadership island's first popularly elected controller.
To honor the enormous gift he made to the sanctuary and its citizens, Puerto Rico's main jetport at San Juan was renamed the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.
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&#x;Don Amerman
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