Carlos Gallisá Bisbal (1933 in

Camuy, Puerto Rico Camuy () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares and San Sebastián; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 barrios and Camuy Pueblo (the downtown area and the admini ...

– 7 December 2018 in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

) was a Puerto Rican attorney,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, and

independence movement Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

leader.

Education

After graduating from the

University of Puerto Rico School of Law The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a law school in Puerto Rico. It is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System. It ...

, Gallisá practiced

labor law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

. He became politicized through the

Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...

protests against the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Politics

He was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

as a member of the

Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Those who follow the PIP ...

(PIP) in 1972. In 1973 he left the PIP to join the more radical

Puerto Rican Socialist Party The Puerto Rican Socialist Party ( es, Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño, PSP) was a Marxist and pro-independence political party in Puerto Rico seeking the end of United States of America control on the Hispanic and Caribbean island of Puerto ...

(PSP). In 1983, Gallisá became

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the PSP. Gallisá suffered harassment due to his politics, including a

firebombing Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary ...

of his law office. He testified at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

on the decolonization issue. Following the disbanding of the PSP in 1993, Gallisá became a leader of the New Puerto Rican Independence Movement and later the

Hostosian National Independence Movement The Hostosian National Independence Movement ( es, Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano, MINH) is a leftist and pro-independence organization in Puerto Rico. As of 2015, Julio Muriente is known to be the leader. History The MINH was ...

. He was also a columnist for the newspaper ''

Claridad ''Claridad'' ("Clarity") is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded in June 1959. The paper served as the official publication of the Puerto Rican independence movement and later the Puerto Rican Socia ...

'' ("Clarity") and a regular news commentator on ''"Fuego Cruzado"'' ("Crossfire"), a radio program aired by WSKN-AM in

Publications

* ''La encrucijada colonial.'' (1991) Dewey Call Number from th
Puerto Rican Collection
at th
University of Puerto Rico
320.97295 G171e * ''Desde Lares.'' (2010) Dewey Call Number from th
Puerto Rican Collection
at th
University of Puerto Rico
972.95 G171d

Death

Gallisá Bisbal died in his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 7 December 2018. He was 85 years old.''Carlos Gallisá: “Perseverancia y sacrificio”: Resaltan las características que llevaron al líder político a dedicar su vida a favor de la independencia.''
Ricardo Cortés Chico. 9 December 2018. El Nuevo Dia. Accessed 8 December 2018.

References

External links

from ''Voices for Independence'' online book Members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico 1933 births 2018 deaths People from Camuy, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican journalists Puerto Rican lawyers Puerto Rico Independence Party politicians Puerto Rican independence activists 20th-century Puerto Rican lawyers University of Puerto Rico alumni {{PuertoRico-bio-stub