Isidoro salcedo-Retrato de Alejandro Ramirez

Alejandro Ramírez y Blanco (February 25, 1777 – May 20, 1821) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

. Born in Alaejos, Ramírez studied

Economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

at the University of Alcalá, then immigrated to Guatemala in 1795. In 1802, he served as secretary to Guatemala's

Captain general Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

, Antonio González Mollinedo y Saravia. On December 12, 1812, Ramírez was sworn in as Intendant of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. While in Puertio Rico, he established a series of financial reforms that significantly improved government efficiency, helped reduce government expenses and established a fairer

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

, allowing the island's

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

major control of their finances and increasing Puerto Rico's treasury more than three-hundred percent during only his first year in office. In 1815, he was named Supervisor of the Finances of the Spanish Crown in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, then Superintendent of Cuba and Intendant of Havana on July 3, 1816. During his tenure in Cuba, he vouched for the abolition of the

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

. He also promoted a Royal Decree in 1818 establishing Cuba's right to commerce freely with other countries. In 1818, Ramírez supported the foundation of the Escuela Gratuita de Dibujo y Pintura in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, which was then given the name of San Alejandro on behalf of him. He became the first Latin-American to become a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Legacy

The building of the Departamento de Hacienda in Puerto Rico has the name of Alejandro Ramírez. It was built in 1969 and has a statue of Ramírez in front. The statue is the work of artist Rafael López del Campo."Departamento de Hacienda, Edificio Intendente Ramírez"
''Puerta De Tierra'' In Ponce's Barrio Sexto (aka, Barrio Cantera), there is a street, ''"Calle Intendente Ramírez"'', named after him.

References

External links

Alejandro Ramírez
in Kalipedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Alejandro Spanish economists Members of the American Philosophical Society 1777 births 1821 deaths