Manuel Fernández Juncos
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Manuel Fernández Juncos (December 11, 1846 – August 18, 1928) was a Spanish-born, Puerto Rican
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
,
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and
humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
who wrote the official lyrics to
La Borinqueña "" (from the native name of Puerto Rico, ''Borinquen'' or ''Boriquen''), ) is the official anthem of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became known as "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, sig ...
,
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
's official anthem.


Early years

Fernández Juncos was born in
Tresmonte Tresmonte ( es, Trasmonte) is one of six parishes (administrative divisions) in Les Regueres, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( ...
, a section of
Ribadesella Ribadesella (Asturian: Ribeseya) is a small municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. Known for its location on the Cantabrian Sea, at the outlet of the River Sella, Ribadesella is a town that forms part ...
,
Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
. Orphaned at an early age, he arrived in Puerto Rico in 1858 aboard a Spanish vessel. Fernández-Juncos became a Puerto Rican by adopting the island as his country and where he was to spend the rest of his life.El Nuevo Dia
Manuel Fernandez Juncos School
Fernández Juncos met Dr. José Gualberto Padilla, a poet known as "El Caribe" who inspired him towards a literary vocation."Manuel Fernandez Juncos - Masonic Hero of Puerto Rico"; by: Eduardo Camareno, Jr., 32°
/ref> He first wrote for ''El Progreso'' (''Progress''), a newspaper founded by
José Julián Acosta José Julián Acosta (February 16, 1825 – August 26, 1891), was a journalist and an advocate of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. Early years José Julián Acosta Calbo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Francisco de Acosta y Sandova ...
. He also wrote for the ''Porvenir'' and ''El Clamor del País'' newspapers. Fernández Juncos founded many newspapers with liberal tendencies. Among them, one was called ''El Buscapie''. It promoted a socialist agenda, including the idea that every child should be entitled to a free education. It quickly became the most widely read Puerto Rican paper of its time. He also founded the ''Revista Puertorriqueña'' (''The Puerto Rican Magazine''). As a writer, Fernández Juncos studied and wrote about the roots of the Puerto Ricans as a people. Among his most notable works were: ''Tipos y Caracteres'', ''Libro Cuarto de Lectura'', and ''Canciones Escolares'' (which he co-wrote with Virgilio Dávila and Braulio Dueño Colon). "El Buscapie" was the only newspaper in the island to criticize the local government. In 1893, he founded the
Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
Patria No. 61 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was also the Lodge's first Worshipful Master.


Political activist

Fernández Juncos joined the
Autonomist Party The Autonomist Party ( it, Partito Autonomista; hr, Autonomaška stranka) was an Italian-Dalmatianist political party in the Dalmatian political scene, that existed for around 70 years of the 19th century and until World War I. Its goal was ...
founded by
Román Baldorioty de Castro Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, ...
and became its secretary. Shortly after, when Puerto Rico was granted its
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one' ...
from Spain, Fernández Juncos was elected and became the first Secretary of State. However, in less than a year Puerto Rico was invaded by the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
during the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
and its government abolished. He founded the Puerto Rican Red Cross, which continues today to give humanitarian help to those in need. The
Americanization Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, te ...
process of Puerto Rico by the invaders included the establishment of
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 ...
to be used in the local schools and the government. As such it was required that books written in English be used. Fernández Juncos, believed that it would not be beneficial to the common person in Puerto Rico who spoke only Spanish. He thereby took upon himself the task of adopting, translating, and writing the books to be used in the schools. Fernández-Juncos later founded the "Casa Manuel Fernández Juncos" for orphaned children in San Juan.


"La Borinqueña"

Fernández Juncos wrote the current lyrics to "
La Borinqueña "" (from the native name of Puerto Rico, ''Borinquen'' or ''Boriquen''), ) is the official anthem of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became known as "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, sig ...
", which originally was a danza written by Francisco Ramírez in 1860 (sometimes credited to Félix Astol Artés in 1867). The original lyrics to the anthem, written by Lola Rodríguez de Tió in 1868, were deemed by the public as too subversive for public use. A public contest to provide new lyrics to the tune was held in 1903, with Fernández Juncos as its winner (this explains why the
Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...
native is credited for writing the lines ''"The land of Borinquen / where I was born"''). "La Borinqueña" became the official anthem of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
in 1952. ;Official Anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico — "La Boriqueña"


Legacy

Manuel Fernández Juncos died on August 18, 1928 in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, Puerto Rico. Was buried at the
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 ...
In San Juan, Puerto Rico. The government of Puerto Rico has honored his memory by naming three schools in the cities of Mayagüez, Juana Diaz, and Cabo Rojo and a commercial avenue in San Juan after him. A
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
Post Office in
Santurce, Puerto Rico Santurce (, from the Basque ''Santurtzi'' which means Saint George) is a barrio or district in the municipality of San Juan. Its population in 2020 was 69,469. It is also the biggest and most populated of all the barrios in the capital city wit ...
was named the Fernandez Juncos Post Office.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez Juncos, Manuel 1846 births 1928 deaths People from Asturias Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery People from Ribadesella Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent Puerto Rican composers Puerto Rican male composers Puerto Rican journalists Puerto Rican poets Puerto Rican male writers Spanish composers Spanish male composers Spanish journalists 20th-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish male writers National anthem writers American male non-fiction writers