José M. Dávila Monsanto (November 2, 1905 – April 4, 2001) was a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who in 1938 co-founded the political party ''Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico'' (

Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party ( es, Partido Popular Democrático, PPD) is a political party in Puerto Rico that advocates to continue as a Commonwealth of the United States with self-governance. The party was founded in 1938 by dissidents from the ...

or "PPD"). He served in 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 t ...

as a representative of the PPD.

Early years

Dávila Monsanto was one of eight siblings born to Juan A. Dávila and María Monsanto in the town of

Yabucoa, Puerto Rico Yabucoa () is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 barrios and Yabucoa Pueblo (the downtown area a ...

. There he received his primary education. He moved to

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 ...

, where he finished his secondary education at the Normal 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 5,3 ...

and after his graduation he was accepted in the university where he earned his bachelor's degree in Education. He went on to study law and in 1934 earned his Juris Doctor from 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 ...

.N.Y. Encyclopedia of Famous Puerto Ricans
/ref> On August 20, 1937, Dávila Monsanto married Inés Lopés Rodríguez on August 20, 1937, and had three children; Inés María, José Manuel and Juan Antonio.

Political activism

During his student years in the University, Dávila Monsanto became active in politics. He was a member of the

Liberal Party of Puerto Rico The Liberal Party of Puerto Rico () was a pro-independence political party. The Liberal Party was founded in 1932 as a formal disaffiliation between two political parties which composed the political coalition known as the '' Alianza'' (Alliance). ...

, a pro-independence

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

. He was elected Vice-president of the ''Juventud Liberal de Puerto Rico'' (the Liberal Youth of Puerto Rico), the youth branch of the PPD, and also served as President of the Rio Piedras chapter of the ''Juventud Liberal de Rio Piedras'' (the Liberal Youth of Rio Piedras). In 1935, Dávila Monsanto set up his law practice in Rio Piedras and continued to practice there until 1941, when he moved to the town of

Guayama, Puerto Rico Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...

.Salon Hogar
The

Río Piedras massacre The Río Piedras massacre occurred on October 24, 1935, at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Puerto Rico Police officers confronted and opened fire on supporters of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Four Nationalist Party members w ...

of four

Puerto Rican Nationalist Party The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...

members occurred on October 24, 1935. The Nationalist Party blamed these deaths on Elisha Francis Riggs, a former United States Army Colonel whom, at the time, was the top U.S.-appointed police officer on the entire island. Consequently, on February 23, 1936, Colonel Riggs was assassinated by Nationalists Hiram Rosado and Elías Beauchamp. This prompted U.S Senator

Millard Tydings Millard Evelyn Tydings (April 6, 1890February 9, 1961) was an American attorney, author, soldier, state legislator, and served as a Democratic Representative and Senator in the United States Congress from Maryland, serving in the House from 19 ...

to introduce a legislation to grant independence to Puerto Rico. Dávila Monsanto was in favor of the proposal. However

Luis Muñoz Marín José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth." In 1948 he ...

objected because, in his view, Puerto Rico was incapable of independence without U.S. economic support.

Partido Popular Democratico de Puerto Rico

In 1938, Dávila Monsanto joined various former members of the Liberal Party, such as

Felisa Rincon de Gautier Felisa is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: ;given name: * Felisa Batacan, Filipino journalist and writer of crime and mystery fiction * Felisa Miceli (born 1952), Argentine economist * Felisa Núñez Cubero (1924-201 ...

and Ernesto Ramos Antonini"Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868-1938"; by: Dr.

Delma S. Arrigoitia 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 his ...

; Page 292; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto (January 2008); and founded the "Partido Popular Democratico de Puerto Rico" known in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as the "Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico" (PDP). The party at first ran on an independence platform, but later abandoned the idea and instead supported Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's status as a commonwealth of the United States. He was named the party's vice-president in the town of Guayama. In 1940, he served on the Advisory Board of the Selective Service in Rio Piedras. From 1942 to 1945, he served on the governing board of the Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico. In 1943, he was elected and served as a delegate to the first Pro Independence Congress. In 1944, Dávila Monsanto, was elected to the

in representation of the District of Guayama and presided over the Senate Regulations and Special Issues committee. From 1951 to 1952, Dávila Monsanto was a member of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the Constitution of Puerto Rico. As a member of the assembly, he fought for the abolition of the death penalty.

Legacy

In 1978, the town of Guayama proclaimed Dávila Monsanto ''Hijo Adoptivo Distinguido de la Ciudad de Guayama'' (Distinguished Adopted Son of the City of Guayama). On April 4, 2001, Dávila Monsanto died in his home in Guayama. The government of Puerto Rico named the highway that extends from PR-54 (

Puerto Rico Highway 54 Puerto Rico Highway 54 (PR-54) is a short divided highway located in Guayama, Puerto Rico and is mainly a by-pass route from Puerto Rico Highway 3 out of Downtown Guayama to Puerto Rico Highway 53. The government of Puerto Rico named the stretch ...

), in Guayama, to PR-52, in Salinas the ''Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto'' (the José M. Dávila Monsanto Highway).Hora Cero en Autopista
/ref>

Notes

References