José de Nouvilas de Vilar (1856 – 1931) was Mayor of

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, from 3 January 1893 to 9 August 1894. He was a soldier in the Spanish military and held the rank of "General de Brigada".

Background

Nouvilas de Vilar had been Ponce Police Chief immediately prior to his first day as mayor. He had garnished the sympathy of the townspeople for his fair application of law enforcement, in particular for the treatment of residents during the popular and commercial protests of 7–10 September 1892 to the Madrid's tax increase. During these protests Nouvilas de Vilar had prohibited his police force from using any violence against the residents.

Mayoral term

Nouvilas became mayor of Ponce on 3 January 1893 and he mayored the municipality until 9 August 1894. During this time he spearheaded the development of a working group of women for the creation of a shelter for Ponce's homeless elderly. In 1893, noticing the large number of elderly beggars that crowded the city streets, he had the urge that something needed to be done to help these group of people. A significant amount from the estate of Miguel Arribas was also donated to the municipality for this purpose. As a result of his leadership, and the many donations that came in, by November 1894 an ''Asilo de Ancianos'' (Shelter for the Elderly) opened at Calle Mendez Vigo #37. Later, encountering declining health, Nouvilas de Vilar traveled to the

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

for medical treatment, from where he resigned his mayoral post. However, under the pretext of public safety, he also ordered the "alcaldes de barrio" to "enter all private homes in their jurisdiction and assess their physical condition."

Legacy

Nouvilas is remembered for issuing an anti-prostitution

edict An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu Proc ...

, the ''Reglamento de Higiene de la Prostitución'' (Prostitution Higiene Decree), intended to "correct immorality in Ponce".Socorro Girón. ''Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina.'' Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. 3rd Edición. 1992. p.284, and 290-302.

Notes

References

* Ramon Marin. ''Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce.'' Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994. * Eileen J. Suarez Findlay. ''Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870-1920.'' Duke University Press. 1999. * Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 256. Item 1287. * Government of Puerto Rico. ''Circular del Gobierno General sobre incendios, Junio 6 de 1893.'' Ponce, Puerto Rico: Establecimiento Tipográfico de M. Lopez. 1893. (Archivo Histórico de Ponce, AHP). * Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 335. Item 1669. * Ponce. ''Presupuesto municipal para el ejercicio 1893 a 1894.'' Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía El Vapor, s.f. (Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras)

External links

Guardia Civil española (c. 1898) (Includes military ranks in 1880s Spanish Empire.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nouvilas de Vilar, Jose de Mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico 1840s births 1910s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain