José Valentin Tormos Diego (2 November 1890 – 24 August 1977) was a Puerto Rican politician and

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

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 1937 to 1941. He is best remembered for under his administration the

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 ...

received a permit for a peaceful march, which resulted in the

Ponce massacre The Ponce massacre was an event that took place on Palm Sunday, March 21, 1937, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, when a peaceful civilian march turned into a police shooting in which 19 civilians and two policemen were killed, and more than 200 civilians ...

by Insular Police under authority supplied by

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Governor

Blanton Winship Blanton C. Winship (November 23, 1869 – October 9, 1947) was an American military lawyer and veteran of both the Spanish–American War and World War I. During his career, he served both as Judge Advocate General of the United States Army and ...

. During his administration he also rebuilt the historic

Teatro La Perla Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was name ...

, and reconditioned the Teatro La Perla northern annex to be used as headquarters of the municipal public library.

Early years

Tormos Diego was the son of Joaquin Tormos and Catalina Diego. Tormos Diego married Amparo Vega Nevárez on 25 September 1911, in

Vega Alta, Puerto Rico Vega Alta () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is on the northern coast of the island, north of Morovis and Corozal; east of Vega Baja; and west of Dorado with an area of . Vega Alta is subdivided into seven barrios and Ve ...

, and they had 6 children: Carmen Amparo, Nelida Mercedes, Ana Luisa, Aida,

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...

, and Gloria. One of his children, José G. Tormos Vega, was also mayor of Ponce.

Mayoral selection

Antonio M. Delgado had been elected mayor of

in 1936. However he died before taking office. Jose Tormos Diego was selected by the standing political party to replace Mr. Delgado.

Mayoral term

Tormos fell ill of appendicitis during his second year as mayor, in July 1938, and had surgery at a Washington, D.C., area hospital. Tormos Diego is best known for under his administration the

received a permit for a peaceful march, which resulted in the

by Insular Police under authority supplied by

Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Governor

Death and legacy

Tormos Diego died on 24 August 1977. The cause of his death was "cirrhosis of the liver", and he was buried at

Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul The Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul ( en, Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Cemetery) is a cemetery in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the only cemetery in Puerto Rico with a group of niches built forming a basement, in which the bur ...

in Ponce. During his mayoral administration he rebuilt the historic

in 1940. During the project he also reconditioned the Teatro La Perla northern annex to be used as headquarters of the municipal public library.Information retrieved from the commemorative plaque in the lobby of Teatro La Perla in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Its complete name in 1940 was "Auditorio y Libreria Publica La Perla". In Ponce there is also a public housing development named after him.

References

* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 173. Item 880. * ''Carnaval de Ponce: programa.'' Ponce, Puerto Rico. 196x? - . Includes photos. (Archivo Histórico Municipal de Ponce, AHMP; Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO) * Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada.'' Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 379. Item 1865. * German Castanera Gomez. "Cualquier alcalde hubiese actuado como Tormos Diego." ''El Diluvio.'' 26 de enero de 1938. p. 11. (CUTPO) * Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada.'' Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 26. Item 126. * "Edificios públicos en Ponce." ''Puerto Rico Ilustrado.'' 5 de noviembre de 1938. p. 30. Includes photo of Jose Tormos Diego. (CUTPO) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tormos Diego, Jose 1890 births 1977 deaths Burials at Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul Mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Early years

Mayoral selection

Mayoral term

Death and legacy

See also

References

Further reading