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
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth."
In 1948 he was the first democratically elected
governor of Puerto Rico
The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
, spearheading an administration that engineered profound economic, political and social reforms; accomplishments that were internationally lauded by many politicians, statesmen, political scientists and economists of the period. Muñoz Marín was instrumental in the suppression of the
Nationalist Party and its efforts to gain independence.
Early life and education
Childhood
Luis Muñoz Marín was born on February 18, 1898, at 152 Calle de la Fortaleza in
Old San Juan
Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...
. He was the son of
Luis Muñoz Rivera and Amalia Marín Castilla. His father was a poet, publisher, and a politician, responsible for founding two newspapers, ''El Diario'' and ''La Democracia.'' Days before Luis' birth, his father traveled to Spain to present a proposal of autonomy for Puerto Rico, which was accepted.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p.1] His father was elected to serve as
Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and Chief of the Cabinet for the Government of Puerto Rico.
On October 18, 1898, Puerto Rico was taken by the United States following Spain's defeat in the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
. Luis's father assisted in establishing an insular police force, but opposed the military colonial government established by the United States. He resigned from office on February 4, 1899, but was later elected to the House of Delegates of Puerto Rico.
One of Muñoz Marín's paternal great-grandfathers, Luis Muñoz Iglesias, was born on October 12, 1797, in
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia.
Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...
, Spain. At age 14, he had joined the
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century.
The Spanish Army has existed ...
and battled Napoleon Bonaparte's
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
in the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
. Afterward he decided to make his career in the army, and was awarded decorations after fighting against
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
during the
Admirable Campaign of independence in Latin America. Once the conflict was over, he traveled to Puerto Rico along with his commanding officer,
Miguel de la Torre. He subsequently settled in a farm in
Cidra and married María Escolástica Barrios. One of his great-grandmothers was Rosa Solá, a woman held in slavery by his great grandfather, Vicente Marín.
In 1901 when Muñoz Marín was three years old, a group of statehood supporters broke into his father's ''El Diario's'' building and vandalized most of the equipment.
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 8–9] Following this incident, the family moved to
Caguas. After receiving further threats from the statehood movements, the family moved to New York City.
There Muñoz Marín learned English, while his father founded the bilingual newspaper, ''Puerto Rico Herald''. During the following years, the family frequently traveled between both locations.
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 10–11] His father founded the
Unionist Party in Puerto Rico, which won the election in 1904. Following the party's victory, his father was elected as a member of the House of Delegates.
Muñoz Marín began his elementary education at William Penn Public School in
Santurce, a district of San Juan.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 12] Most classes were taught in English, a change imposed by the American colonial government. Muñoz Marín's knowledge of English allowed him to be advanced to second grade, although he had some difficulty the next year.
In 1908, Muñoz Marín was enrolled in a small private school in San Juan. Working with the teacher Pedro Moczó, in two years he covered all the material normally taught to students between third and eighth grade, passing tests with good grades.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 15]
In 1910, his father was elected as
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. This position is a non-voting delegate to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
.
In 1911, he began his studies at the
Georgetown Preparatory School but disliked its strict discipline and failed the tenth grade.
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 18–19] In 1915, his father enrolled him at
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...
, but Muñoz Marín was uninterested and wanted to become a poet.
In late 1916, Muñoz Marín and his mother were called to Puerto Rico by their friend Eduardo Georgetti, who said Luis' father was suffering from an infection spreading from his
gallbladder
In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow Organ (anatomy), organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath t ...
. Muñoz Rivera died on November 15, 1916, when Luis was eighteen.
Poetry and ideological contrasts
A month later Muñoz Marín and his mother returned to New York; he sold his law books and refused to return to Georgetown.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 26] Within one month he published a book titled ''Borrones'', composed of several stories and a one-act play. For several months, he served as the congressional clerk to
Félix Córdova Dávila, who succeeded Muñoz Marín's father as Resident Commissioner.
Marriage and family
On July 1, 1919, Muñoz Marín married
Muna Lee, an American writer from
Raymond, Mississippi, who had grown up in Oklahoma.
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 32–33] Lee was a leading
Southern feminist and a rising writer of
Pan-American poetry. They had a daughter and a son together,
but often lived apart before separating in 1938.
During the 1920s Muñoz Marín spent the majority of his time in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
, where he lived apart from his wife and young children. During those years he often asked his wife and mother to send him money, and indulged in a "
Bohemian lifestyle" that strained his
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
. Muñoz Marín and his wife Muna Lee underwent a legal separation in 1938.
During his first campaign for the Puerto Rico Senate in 1932, Muñoz Marín was accused of being a narcotics addict; he was alleged to be addicted to opium.
Before his campaigns of 1938 and 1939, while he was still legally married, Muñoz Marín met
Inés Mendoza.
A teacher, she became his mistress and was fired for complaining about the prohibition against classes in Spanish. They agreed that substituting "one language for another is to diminish that country's capacity to be happy".
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 61–62] Muñoz Marín asked Mendoza to "stay with him all his life."
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 63]
In 1940, a month after his election as
President of the Senate
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...
in Puerto Rico, Muñoz Marín and Mendoza had a daughter,
Victoria, named to commemorate his success.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 73] He and Mendoza officially married in 1946, and they had a second daughter, Viviana.
In the 1980s, their daughter
Victoria Muñoz Mendoza became active in Puerto Rican politics. In 1992, she became the first woman to run as a candidate for the governorship of Puerto Rico.
Formation of political ideas
In 1920, Muñoz Marín was selected to deliver a check to
Santiago Iglesias, the president of the
Socialist Party of Puerto Rico. Excited about the prospect of meeting him, they moved to Puerto Rico, where the couple's first daughter, Munita, was born.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 36] Upon arriving, he noticed that some of the landowners were paying the ''
jíbaros'', the mountain-dwelling peasants of Puerto Rico, two dollars in exchange for their votes. He joined the Socialist Party, a decision regarded as a "disaster" by his family.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p.41] In October 1920, the Socialist Party recruited members of the
Republican Party in order to win upcoming elections. Disappointed, Muñoz Marín returned to the mainland, moving to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
with his family. Shortly after, his first son, Luis Muñoz Lee, was born.
In 1923, he returned alone to Puerto Rico, supposedly to publish a
book
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
that collected several of his father's previously unpublished works. After collecting $5,000 from his father's friends for this alleged "publication" Muñoz Marín spent the
money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...
, did not write the book, and quickly left the
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
. Several years later, after things had quieted down,
Antonio R. Barceló, who was the president of the newly formed Liberal Party, called Muñoz Marín to work on ''La Democracia''.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 46] After having problems with some members of the party's Republican faction, due to his support for island autonomy, Muñoz Marín returned to New York. Here he wrote for ''
The American Mercury'' and ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
''.
In 1931, after traveling throughout the United States, Muñoz Marín noticed the instability of the country's economy — and his own personal finances — after the
stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often fol ...
. Deciding that exploiting his father's name in Puerto Rican politics was better than starving in Greenwich Village, he borrowed money from a group of friends and returned to the island.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 48] Upon arriving, he discovered that
Hurricane San Felipe Segundo had destroyed most of the sugar crops where the ''jíbaros'' worked, leaving the majority unemployed.
Political career
Senator
By the 1930s, Puerto Rico's political scenario had changed; the only party actively asking for independence was the
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. That organization's president,
Pedro Albizu Campos, occasionally met with Muñoz Marín. He was impressed by the substance of Albizu's arguments, but their styles to achieve autonomy and social reforms were different.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 51]
In 1932,
Antonio R. Barceló abandoned the Coalition, which by this time had weakened, and he worked to establish a new independence movement. Barceló adopted several of Muñoz Marín's ideas of social and economic reforms and autonomy, using them to form the ideology of the
Liberal Party of Puerto Rico.
Muñoz Marín joined the Liberal Party and led ''La Democracia'', which had become the party's official newspaper. He had decided to become a politician to achieve reform.
In speeches, he discussed ways to provide more land, hospitals, food and schools to the general public.
On March 13, 1932, Muñoz Marín was nominated by the party for the post of senator. Although the party did not win a majority in the 1932 elections, Muñoz Marín received enough votes to gain a position in the
Puerto Rican Senate.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 52] Shortly after, Rudy Black, a reporter for ''La Democracia'', arranged a meeting between him and
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
. Wanting her to see Puerto Rico's problems personally, he persuaded her to visit the main island.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 53]
In August 1932, Muñoz Marín received
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
in
Fort San Felipe del Morro and ''
La Fortaleza'' before traveling to ''El Fanguito'', a poor sector that had suffered much damage in the hurricane. When photos of her visit were published, former American governors and the incumbent were outraged to have been overlooked.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 54] Following his wife's report,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
included Puerto Rico in the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
program. Muñoz Marín became a popular political figure due to his involvement in the program, which provided for considerable investment of federal funds in Puerto Rico to develop infrastructure and housing.
Following the government police massacre of Nationalist protesters at the
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...
in
Río Piedras in 1935 (the
Río Piedras massacre) and again at
Ponce in 1937, the US Senator
Millard Tydings from Maryland supported a bill in 1936 to give independence to Puerto Rico.
(He had co-sponsored the
Tydings–McDuffie Act, which provided independence to the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
after a 10-year transition under a limited autonomy.) All the Puerto Rican parties supported the bill, but Muñoz Marín opposed it. Tydings did not gain passage of the bill.
[Frank Otto Gatell, "Independence Rejected: Puerto Rico and the Tydings Bill of 1936"](_blank)
, ''Hispanic American Historical Review'', Vol. 38, No. 1 (Feb., 1958), pp. 25–44, accessed 15 December 2012
Muñoz Marín criticized the bill for what he said would be adverse effects on the island's economy. He compared it to a principle known as ''Ley de Fuga'' (Law of flight). This was the term for a police officer arresting a man, releasing him, and shooting him in the back while the policeman retreated, claiming the suspect had "fled."
[Bernier-Grand et al., pp. 55–56]
As a result of his opposition to the bill and disagreement with Antonio R. Barceló, Muñoz Marín was expelled from the Liberal Party. Muñoz Marín's expulsion severely affected his public image.
He created a group named ''Acción Social Independentista'' (''ASI'') ("Pro-Independence Social Action") which later became the ''
Partido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo''. This organization served as opposition to the Liberal Party, which was led by Barceló.
Along with many liberal democratic administrators from the New Deal relief organization known as the
Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA), in 1938, Muñoz Marín helped create the
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party (, 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 Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, Pu ...
(''Partido Popular Democratico'', or PPD). The party committed to helping the ''jíbaros'', regardless of their political beliefs, by promoting a minimum wage, initiatives to provide food and water, cooperatives to work with agriculture, and the creation of more industrial alternatives.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 58] Muñoz Marín concentrated his political campaigning in the rural areas of Puerto Rico. He attacked the then common practice of paying off rural farm workers to influence their vote, insisting that they "lend" their vote for only one election. The party's first rally attracted solid participation, which surprised the other parties.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 60]
President of the Senate
In 1940, the Popular Democratic Party won a majority in the
Senate of Puerto Rico, which was attributed to his campaigning in the rural areas, he first gave a speech in
Dorado, Puerto Rico
Dorado () is a Dorado barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan and is located in the northern region of the island, bordering the Atlantic ...
in the balcony of a house owned by electrician Luis Pérez Álvarez, in 1947. Muñoz Marín was elected as the fourth President of the Senate.
During his term as President of the Senate, Muñoz was an advocate of the working class of Puerto Rico. Along with Governor
Rexford Tugwell, the last non-Puerto Rican US-appointed Governor, and the republican-socialist coalition which headed the House of Representatives, Muñoz helped advance legislation for agricultural reform, economic recovery, and industrialization.
This program became known as
Operation Bootstrap. It was coupled with a program of agrarian reform (land redistribution) which limited the area to be held by large sugarcane interests. During the first four decades of the 20th century, Puerto Rico's dominant economic commodity had been sugarcane by-products.
Operation Bootstrap encouraged investors to transfer or create manufacturing plants, offering them local and federal tax concessions, while maintaining access to American markets free of import duties. The program facilitated a shift to an industrial economy. During the 1950s, labor-intensive light industries were developed on the island, such as textiles; manufacturing later gave way to heavy industry, such as petrochemicals and oil refining, in the 1960s and 1970s. Taught in Spanish, ''jíbaros'' were trained to work in jobs being promoted by the government.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 74] Muñoz Marín backed legislation to limit the amount of land a company could own. His development programs brought some prosperity for an emergent middle class. A rural agricultural society was transformed into an industrial working class. Muñoz Marín also launched ''Operación Serenidad'' ("Operation Serenity"), a series of projects geared toward promoting education and appreciation of the arts.
Civil rights groups and the Catholic Church criticized Operation Bootstrap, for what they saw as government-promoted birth control, encouragement of surgical sterilization, and fostering the migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States mainland.
In 1943 Puerto Rico would pass a
Civil Rights Act would ended a great deal of race-related discrimination in Puerto Rico.
In 1945,
Eric Williams
Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He has been dubbed as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then-British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, ...
would acknowledge the progress in civil rights in Puerto Rico at the time, conceding that despite some issues related to class discrimination, "The Negro enjoys equality with the white man politically as well as legally," and that even opponents of Muñoz Marín "agree that he and his
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
have given Negroes a square deal and opened positions to them, especially in the teaching profession and the higher ranks of the police force, from which they were conventionally debarred."
World War II
During the early stages of World War II, many thousands of Puerto Ricans were drafted to serve in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
. This eased problems of overpopulation in the main island. Muñoz Marín promoted the construction of public housing projects to resolve a housing shortage.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 76] During the war he established low-interest scholarships and loans for the residents who were not drafted. To address health issues, he established free public clinics, which opened throughout Puerto Rico.
In 1943 Puerto Rico would pass a Civil Rights Act.
In 1944 the Popular Democratic Party won a majority again in the election, repeating the political victory of the previous elections. In 1947, Congress approved legislation allowing Puerto Ricans to elect their own Governor. Muñoz Marín successfully campaigned for the post and was the first democratically elected
Governor of Puerto Rico
The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
and the second Puerto Rican to serve in that post.
Passage of Law 53 (the Gag Law)
In 1948, the
Puerto Rican Senate passed
Law 53, also known as the Gag Law, which would restrain the rights of the independence and Nationalist movements in the island. Marin was instrumental in the passage of this law as he was in control of the Senate at the time. The passage of the law allowed him to arrest any suspected nationalist without cause or due process and so allowed him to squash any potential question to his authority.
The ''Ley de la Mordaza'' (a
gag law) passed the legislature on May 21, 1948, and was signed into law on June 10, 1948, by the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico,
Jesús T. Piñero. It closely resembled the anti-communist
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act, popularly known as the Smith Act, 76th United States Congress, 3rd session, ch. 439, , is a United States federal statute that was enacted on June 28, 1940. It set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of ...
passed in the United States, and was perceived as an effort to suppress opposition to the PPD and the independence movement.
Under this law it became a crime to own or display a
Puerto Rican flag anywhere, even in one's own home. It also became a crime to speak against the
U.S. government; to speak in favor of Puerto Rican independence; to print,
publish
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
, sell or exhibit any material intended to paralyze or destroy the insular government; or to organize any society, group or assembly of people with a similar destructive intent. Anyone accused and found guilty of disobeying the law could be sentenced to ten years'
imprisonment
Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...
, a fine of $10,000 (US), or both.
According to Dr.
Leopoldo Figueroa, a member of the ''Partido Estadista Puertorriqueño'' (Puerto Rican Statehood Party) and the only non-member of PPD in the Puerto Rican House, the law was repressive and in direct violation of the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution, which guarantees
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
. Figueroa pointed out that every Puerto Rican was born with full citizenship, and full U.S. constitutional protections.
Muñoz Marín used Law 53 to
arrest
An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...
thousands of Puerto Ricans without
due process
Due process of law is application by the state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to a case so all legal rights that are owed to a person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual p ...
– including members of other
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area'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 ...
, and people who did not vote for him.
Governor
Muñoz Marín officially took office on January 2, 1949. He held the post of Governor for sixteen years, being re-elected again in 1952, 1956 and 1960. In 1957, Muñoz Marín was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree (LL.D.) from
Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...
.
Having made progress on illiteracy and other social problems, the party began debating how to establish an autonomous government.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 80] Muñoz Marín and his officials agreed to adopt a "Free Associated State" structure, which had been proposed by Barceló decades before. In Spanish the proposal's name remained unchanged, but in English, it was commonly referred to as a "Commonwealth", to avoid confusion with full statehood.
The main goal of the proposal was to provide more autonomy to the island, including executive functions similar to those in states, and to pass a constitution.
During his terms as governor, a
Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico, was called. Muñoz Marín participated in that and the drafting of the
Constitution of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico () is the primary organizing law for the unincorporated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of Puerto Rico in nine art ...
. It was passed by 82% of the people of Puerto Rico, and approved by the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
in 1952. Supporters of independence left the PPD and founded the
Puerto Rican Independence Party soon after.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 81]
The
Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico, led by Albizu Campos, also supported full independence and had abandoned the electoral process after low support. On October 30, 1950, a group of Puerto Rican nationalists attacked the governor's mansion and attempted to assassinate Muñoz Marín, by firing shots into his office. Muñoz Marín mobilized the
Puerto Rican National Guard under the command of
Puerto Rico Adjutant General Luis R. Esteves and sent them to confront the Nationalists in various towns, besides
San Juan, such as
Jayuya and
Utuado. He ordered the police to arrest many of the Nationalists, including Albizu Campos.
Subsequently, the Muñoz Marín administration used law 53, known as ''Ley de Mordaza'' (lit. "the gag law") to arrest thousands of Puerto Ricans without due process, including pro-independence supporters who were not involved in the uprisings.
The inauguration acts for the establishment of the ''Estado Libre Associado'' took place on July 25, 1952. Security for the event was tightened to avoid any incident, and invitations were issued.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p.82] Muñoz Marín feared that the new status could affect the Puerto Rican culture or "
Americanize" the island's
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 83] The government began promoting cultural activities, founding the
Pablo Casals Festival, Music Conservatory, and Puerto Rico's Institute of Culture.
During the decade of the 1950s, most ''jíbaros'' pursued work in factories instead of agriculture, to avoid the losses from frequent hurricanes. Many people migrated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
during this period for its good industrial jobs. Muñoz Marín said that he "did not agree with" the "continuing situation", and that the "battle for good life, should not have all its emphasis placed on industrialization. Part of it must be placed on agriculture."
American critics felt that he encouraged the migration to reduce overpopulation.
Despite efforts to provide more work in agriculture on the islands, the migration continued.
In 1952, three United States senators referred to Muñoz Marin as a dictator when he would not approve "New Industry" tax exemptions for housing construction projects. Muñoz Marin said housing was not a new industry in Puerto Rico and the senators,
Olin D. Johnston,
Owen Brewster, and
John Marshall Butler responded in kind by calling him a dictator on the floor of the US Senate.
On December 6, 1962, Muñoz Marín was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President
John F. Kennedy. By 1964, Muñoz Marín had been governor for sixteen years. A group of younger members of the Popular Democratic Party felt that he should retire.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 85] They suggested that he resign, and presented a proposal for term limits — two terms for elected officials.
The group named themselves ''Los veinte y dos'' ("The twenty-twos") and began running a campaign, calling on civilians for support.
Victoria, Muñoz Marín's youngest daughter joined the group, which he didn't oppose.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 86] The day before the party had an assembly to elect its candidates, Muñoz Marín announced his decision not to run for another term. He recommended
Roberto Sánchez Vilella
Roberto Sánchez Vilella (19 February 1913 – 24 March 1997) was the governor of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. Sánchez Vilella successfully ran for governor in the 1964 elections for the ''Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, Partido Po ...
, his
Secretary of State, for the party's candidacy. When the crowd called for "four more years", Muñoz Marín said, "I am not your strength ... You are your own strength."
Sánchez Vilella was elected as governor.
Later years

After leaving the post of governor, Muñoz Marín continued his public service until 1970 as a member of the Puerto Rico Senate. In 1968, he had a serious dispute with Governor Sánchez Vilella. Still an influential figure inside the Popular Democratic Party, Muñoz Marín decided not to support Sánchez's re-election bid.
Governor Sánchez purchased the franchise of ''The People's Party'' (''Partido del Pueblo'') and decided to run for governor under this new party.
The PPD was defeated for the first time, and
Luis A. Ferré was elected as governor. Muñoz Marín and Sánchez Vilella's friendship was severely strained after this.
Retirement
After resigning his senate seat in 1970, Muñoz Marín temporarily moved to Italy, where one of his daughters, Viviana, had established residence.
During this time he traveled to various destinations in Europe, including France, Spain and Greece.
He returned to Puerto Rico two years later, when he began writing an autobiography.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 87] He promoted the gubernatorial candidacy of the senate's president
Rafael Hernández Colón, the new leader of the Popular Democratic Party.
Late in his life, Muñoz Marín's health weakened. On January 5, 1976, he suffered a severe stroke, which temporarily affected his ability to move, read and speak.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 88] On April 30, 1980, he died at the age of 82, after suffering complications from a severe fever.
[Bernier-Grand et al., p. 89] His funeral became an island-wide event, dwarfing his own father's funeral in 1916, and attended by tens of thousands of followers. He was buried at the
Muñoz Rivera Family Mausoleum in
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
Legacy and honors
*On November 13, 1961,
John F. Kennedy honored Muñoz Marín for his accomplishments with a
state dinner at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, and in 1963 he was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, with Special Distinction. The citation read: "Poet, politician, public servant, patriot, he has led his people on to new heights of dignity and purpose and transformed a stricken land into a vital society."
*Muñoz Marín also received the highest decorations from various other governments, including:
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, which awarded him the Grand Cross of the
French Legion;
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
, which conferred on him the
Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa; and
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, which honored him with the Grand Cross of the
Order of the Sun of Peru
The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...
.
[
*Muñoz Marín received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from ]Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
,[ and ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
,[ where he gave several lectures concerning Puerto Rico's progress and International Relations; he was also a Commencement Day speaker for the university in 1955.
*Muñoz Marín was featured twice on the cover of '']TIME
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine, in 1949 and 1958. The articles called him "one of the most influential politicians in recent times, whose works will be remembered for years to come."
*In Rexford Tugwell's book ''The Art of Politics, as Practiced by Three Great Americans: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Luis Muñoz Marín, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia'' (1958), Tugwell described Muñoz Marín's achievements,
*Muñoz Marín was presented with the Key to the City of Managua, Nicaragua, by Nicaraguan President Luis Somoza Debayle.
*In 1985, Puerto Rico's largest international airport was renamed Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in his honor.
*In 1990, the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
issued a 5-cent stamp honoring Muñoz Marín in their Great Americans Series.
* In Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio, the Luis Muñoz Marín Dual Language Academy, located in the La Villa Hispana neighborhood, serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8.
* In Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, the Luis Muñoz Marín School For Social Justice serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8.
* There is a 1974 oil painting of Muñoz Marín by Puerto Rican painter Francisco Rodón at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.
* An illustrated color portrait of Muñoz Marín, by Bernard Safrin, was on the cover of ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' on June 23, 1968.
* An etching of Muñoz Marín is on a five cent red stamp in the Great Americans postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...
series, issued by the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
on February 18, 1990.
* In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, the Luis Muñoz Marín Elementary School in the Fairhill neighborhood serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8.
* Luis Munoz Marin Blvd, a major throughfare, in Jersey City, NJ
* In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Luis Muñoz Marín School on the East Side of the city was opened in January of 1992 and dedicated on May 3rd, 1992 to honor his achievements. It serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8.
See also
* Portrait of Luis Muñoz Marín
* List of Puerto Rican writers
* List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
* Puerto Rican literature
* List of governors of Puerto Rico
* Puerto Rican Politics
* List of Puerto Rican Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz Marin, Luis
1898 births
1980 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Puerto Rico
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Governors of Puerto Rico
Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Politicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Presidents of the Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico)
Presidents of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent
20th-century Puerto Rican male writers
The Century Foundation
20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico