Delma S. Arrigoitia
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Delma S. Arrigoitia (born February 10, 1945) is a historian, author, educator and lawyer whose written works cover the life and works of some of Puerto Rico's most prominent politicians of the early 20th century. After earning her doctorate in history at
Fordham University Fordham University () is a private Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located, Fordham is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit un ...
in New York, she helped develop the graduate school for history at the University of Puerto Rico and taught there for years.


Early years

Arrigoitia (birth name: Delma S. Arrigoitia Peraza ) was born in the City of
Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...
to Enrique and Consuelo Arrigoitia. Her father had two sons from his first marriage, but Delma grew up mostly as an only child. She was always intrigued by reading books."Los Tres Hombres de Delma"; El Vocero; by Carlos Ochpteco; March 27, 2010; p. 30 One of her brothers became a medical doctor, and the other has a doctorate in literature. She comes from a distinguished family whose love for education and culture served as her inspiration. She received her primary education at the ''Colegio San Felipe de Arecibo'' and her secondary education at the University High School of the
University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and ...
(also known as the UPR) in
Rio Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
. Arrigoitia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Puerto Rico, where she was also a
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
student, with the highest GPA in her academic concentration. Arrigoitia continued her studies to earn a master's degree in history. Her thesis was ''La Diputacion Provincial de Puerto Rico, 1820–23''.Notiicas (News)
/ref> For a short period of time, Arrigoitia taught humanities in the University of Puerto Rico before she proceeded to study law, earning her ''Juris Doctor'' degree. She practiced with the law firm of Hartzell, Ydrach, Mellado, Santiago before deciding to attend
Fordham University Fordham University () is a private Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located, Fordham is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit un ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to pursue a doctorate degree in history. There she earned her degree with a thesis on
José de Diego José de Diego y Martínez (April 16, 1866 – July 16, 1918) was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's political autonomy in union with Spain and later of independence from the United States who was referred to by ...
. It was later published by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, titled as ''José de Diego, el Legislador''. In this book, and in her later biographies, Arrigoitia drew on her legal experience to analyze and understand the laws created by the subjects of her political biographies, and their influence on the economic and political status of Puerto Rico in relation to the United States.''Primera Hora''
/ref>


Academic career

Arrigoitia returned to the UPR and helped establish, as coordinator, the institution's first graduate school of history, which offered a doctorate degree in history. She wrote the biography of Eduardo Giorgetti, a Puerto Rican millionaire who was another prominent political figure, titled ''Eduardo Giorgetti y Su Mundo: La Aparente Paradoja de un Millonario Genio Empresarial y Su Noble Humanismo''. During her years at the university, she wrote a rules and regulations manual for university professors. The Middle States Association (MSA) now requires compliance with this manual, as a prerequisite for UPR's accreditation by the MSA. As a university professor, Arrigoitia also traveled throughout Puerto Rico, giving conferences on De Diego and Giorgetti. In the late 1990s, Arrigoitia became interested in writing a book about
Antonio Rafael Barceló Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martínez (April 15, 1868 – December 15, 1938) was a Puerto Rican lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families. Barceló, who in 1917 became the ...
, first president of the
Puerto Rican Senate The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...
. The Senate offered her support during her research phase for ''Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868–1938.'' The book was recognized by the ''Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín''. In 2010, it was also noted as the year's best book in research and criticism by the Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum), founded in 1876. Arrigoitia was awarded the "Premio Nacional del Instituto de Literatura" (National Award of the Literature Institute). It is the highest honor bestowed upon an author in Puerto Rico. The book won a first prize of $6,000, presented to Arrigoitia in a ceremony in July 2010.


2002 to present

Since retiring in 2002 from the university, Arrigoitia has concentrated on writing books. In 2012, she published her book "Introduccion a la Historia de la Moda en Puerto Rico". The book, which was requested by the high fashion designer Carlota Alfaro, covers over 500 years of history of the fashion industry in Puerto Rico. Arrigoitia is working on a book about the women who have served in the Puerto Rican Legislature, as requested by the former President of the Chamber of Representatives, Jennifer Gonzalez. Arrigoitia is also planning a book about the First Chamber of Delegates (1900–1903) of Puerto Rico. Arrigoitia was featured in the section ''Escenarios – Literatura'' in ''El Vocero,'' a local newspaper, and in a piece titled ''Los Tres Hombres de Delma'' (The Three Men of Delma) on March 27, 2010. On April 5, she was also featured in the section ''Vidas Unicas'' in ''El Nuevo Dia,'' another local newspaper, and in a piece titled ''Exploradora del Genio Patrio'' (Explorer of the Patriotic Genre)."Exploradora del Genio Patrio"; El Nuevo Dia; by:Mildred Rivera Marrero; April 5, 2010; pg. 58 Arrigoitia resides in Ocean Park,
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Santurce (, from the Basque '' Santurtzi'' which means Saint George) is a barrio or district in the municipality of San Juan. Its population in 2020 was 69,469. It is also the biggest and most populated of all the barrios in the capital city w ...
.


Written works

*''Jose De Diego el legislador, San Juan;'' by: Delma S. Arrigoitia; Publisher: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, 1991; LCCN: 93114065; LC: F1978.D54 A77 1991 *''Eduardo Giorgetti Y Su Mundo: La Aparente Paradoja De Un Millonario Genio Empresarial Y Su Noble Humanismo;'' by Delma S. Arrigoitia; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto; ; *''Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868–1938;'' by: Dr. Delma S. Arrigoitia; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto (January 2008); *''Introduccion a la Historia de la Moda en Puerto Rico;'' by: Delma S. Arrigoitia; Publisher: EDITORIAL PLAZA MAYOR (2012); ;


See also

*
List of Latin American writers This is a list of some of the most important writers from Latin America, organized by cultural region and nationality. The focus is on Latin American literature. Andeans Bolivia *Alcides Arguedas (1879–1946), historian *Matilde Casazola *Ja ...
*
List of Puerto Rican writers This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, short story authors, and playwrights. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and long-term residents or immigrants ...
* List of Puerto Ricans *
Puerto Rican literature Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of oral storytelling. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico were originally prohibited and repressed by th ...
*
Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States ''The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States'' (''MELUS'') is a scholarly society established in 1974. MELUS publishes a quarterly academic journal, ''MELUS''. The aim of the Society is "to expand the definition o ...
*
History of women in Puerto Rico The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish c ...


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrigoitia, Delma S. 1945 births Fordham University alumni Living people Puerto Rican non-fiction writers Puerto Rican educators People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican women writers American women non-fiction writers