José Conrado Hernández Santiago (February 19, 1849 – June 20, 1932) served as

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ( es, Jefe del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico) is the presiding officer of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. The post of Chief Justice was created by Article V of the Constitution of Puerto ...

from 1909 to 1922. Born in

Aibonito, Puerto Rico Aibonito () is a small mountain town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 '' ...

, he obtained his bachelor's degree in San Juan in 1865, a degree in Civil and Canon Law at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

in 1873, and a doctorate in theology. He began practicing law in 1874 and was a Judge of First Instance in

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

and

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...

, and

Santiago, Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

. He served as a Magistrate in Pinar Del Río and Santa Clara, also in Cuba, as well as in Cibú and Manila, in the Philippines, before serving in Puerto Rico under Spanish rule. After the change of sovereignty to the United States, he was President of Puerto Rico's highest court in 1899 and was appointed Associate Justice of the new Supreme Court in 1900 by president

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

, a post held until his appointment as Chief Justice by president

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

in 1909. Served as Chief Justice until his retirement in 1922. He died 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 ...

on June 20, 1932, at the age of 83. He was buried at

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...

. , -

Sources

*La Justicia en sus Manos, by Luis Rafael Rivera, 2007, 1849 births 1932 deaths Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico People from Aibonito, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican lawyers University of Salamanca alumni {{US-state-judge-stub