Isabel Andreu de Aguilar (née Isabel Andreu y Blanco; 15 November 1887 in

Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...

– 7 April 1948) was a Puerto Rican writer, educator, philanthropist,

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and activist for the rights of women. She participated in the founding of the Puerto Rican Feminist League and was a co-founder of the Association of Women Graduates 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 5,3 ...

. She was the second president of the Puerto Rican Association of Women Suffragists and was one of the first women to run for a Senatorial seat once they achieved

enfranchisement Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Early years and education

Isabel Andreu y Blanco was born on 15 November 1887, in

, Puerto Rico, to Cristóbal Andreu Comendador and Blanca Irene Blanco Guzmán. She was born during the period in which the island was an administrative district of Spain and her father, originally from Majorca, would become the mayor of Fajardo. Her mother was a native Puerto Rican. After attending elementary school, she won a scholarship to attend

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

in 1902, graduating in 1907 as one of the first class of alumni of the Escuela Normal of the University of Puerto Rico.

Career

Andreu began work as a teacher in the model school affiliated with the university, but soon returned home to Fajardo where she continued teaching. In 1917, when the Carnegie Library was created, she was appointed to serve on the board of directors. That same year, she became the vice president of the Puerto Rican Feminist League ( es, Liga Femínea Puertorriqueña), which was founded by Ana Roqué (1853-1933). The League was active in trying to gain women the right to vote and when their local senator,

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 ...

, refused to discuss the matter, Andreu, María L. de Ashford and Milagros Benet de Mewton went to plead their case in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1921, the organization changed its name to the Suffragist Social League ( es, La Liga Social Sufragista) and expanded its platform

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

to full civic and political participation. In 1924, Andreu, along with Rosario Bellber, Maria Cadilla de Martínez, Luisa Callejo, Beatriz Lasalle, Ana López de Vélez, Roqué, and Amina Tió de Malaret all resigned from the League over ideological differences. The following year Roqué and Andreu formed the Puerto Rican Association of Women Suffragists ( es, Asociación Puertorriqueña de Mujeres Sufragistas). The crux of the ideological split was whether extending the vote to women should include universal suffrage or whether it should be restricted to educated women. Andreu and Roqué were in the camp which favored education as a prerequisite to voting. That same year, 1925, Andreu was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. In 1929, Andreu was selected as president of the Association of Women Suffragists and the women were successful in attaining the vote for literate women. In 1932, Andreu ran as a Senator for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, the first woman ever to run. After losing the election, Andreu returned to school and completed a Bachelor of Education at the University of Puerto Rico in 1935. Later that year, she studied sociology at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and later graduated with a Master in Arts specializing in adult education. In 1936, Andreu and other professional women founded the Association of Women Graduates of the University of Puerto Rico with the goals of improving the professional, academic and cultural development of its members and the university. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she continued her trusteeships with the Library and University, as well as public speaking engagements and writing on topics ranging from education to women's rights to adult literacy. Andreu died on 7 April 1948 and posthumously, a building at the University of Puerto Rico was bestowed with her name, as well as a street in San Juan.

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* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Andreu de Aguilar, Isabel 1887 births 1948 deaths American women philanthropists People from Fajardo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican suffragists Puerto Rican women writers Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican feminists Puerto Rican philanthropists University of Puerto Rico alumni 20th-century American philanthropists Organization founders Women founders 20th-century American women 20th-century women philanthropists