Fernando Martín García is a Puerto Rican politician and former senator. He was a member of the

Senate of Puerto Rico 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 t ...

from 1989 to 1993, and then from 2000 to 2004.

Early years and studies

Fernando Martín García finished his elementary and high school at the

Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola is a private, Catholic, Jesuit, all-male college-preparatory school run by the U.S. Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1952.

in San Juan. He then studied at 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 5,3 ...

receiving his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

with a major in history in 1969. He then completed his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in public policy from the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1974. Since 1975, Martín García has worked as a professor of administrative law and ethics responsibility at 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 ...

Political career

Martín García was candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico for 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 ...

at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and 1992 general elections. At the 1988 elections, Martín García was elected to the

for the first time. For the 1996 elections, he was a candidate for senator for the District of San Juan, but lost. Martín García was elected again to the senate at the 2000 general elections. After that term, he ran for mayor of San Juan, but lost to incumbent

Jorge Santini Jorge Santini Padilla (born March 11, 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who previously served as the mayor of San Juan. State Service In 1975, Santini became a member of the United States Marines Air Cadets Corps. At present, he is Lieuten ...

.Elecciones Generales 2004: Recuento
on CEEPUR

International presence and support for independence

Martín García has been a supporter of

Puerto Rican independence Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States. A spectrum of pro- autonomy, ...

for a long time. He has defended his position in international forums like the

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

, the Permanent Conference of Political Parties for Latin America, the Latin American Association of Human Rights, and the

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations ...

. Martín García was also one of the lead protesters against the presence of the United States military during the

Navy-Vieques protests The Vieques, Puerto Rico, Naval Training Range was a United States naval facility located on the island of Vieques, about 5 miles east of mainland Puerto Rico. Starting in November 1941, the navy used the range for military exercises. Military o ...

. As a result, he was arrested for civil disobedience.

References

External links

Biografía Fernando Martín
on Independencia.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin Garcia, Fernando Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Living people Harvard Kennedy School alumni Puerto Rico Independence Party politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola alumni Harvard Law School alumni Puerto Rican independence activists