Olga Aran Méndez (February 5, 1925 – July 29, 2009) was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to a state legislature in the United States mainland, when, in 1978, she became a member of the New York State Senate.

Early years

Olga Aran Méndez was born in

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pura ...

. One of eight children, she was raised on the island in a middle class and highly educated family. Her mother, Ursula Garcia Fernández (b. 1894), was heir to a substantial family fortune along with her three sisters; she died when Olga was nine years old. Olga's father, Gonzalo Aran Soler (d. 1948), was a Clerk of the Court. His family, the Arans, were among the first French families to immigrate to Puerto Rico in the 19th century. In 1950, Méndez received a Bachelor of Science degree from 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 ...

, afterwards teaching high school chemistry on the island. In 1960, she earned her

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

from the Teacher's College at Columbia University. In 1975, she defended her

Doctoral Dissertation A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

in Educational Psychology and received her

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

.''New York Times'' report on Olga Méndez
/ref> Méndez married into a respected East Harlem political family. Her father-in-law, Antonio "Tony" Méndez was the first Puerto Rican district leader in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. She became involved in the fight for better government through her family members and became an active leader in the area of voter registration drives throughout the nation.

Political career

In 1972, Méndez was elected as a New York Delegate, committed to Senator George McGovern at the Democratic National Convention. In 1974, she was elected to the "National Conference of Women" in Houston, Texas. On April 11, 1978, she was elected to the New York State Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Robert García to the U.S. Congress. She was re-elected several times, and remained in the State Senate until 2004, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th,

189th 189th may refer to: *189th (Canadien-Français) Battalion, CEF, a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War *189th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the Idaho Air National Guard that flies the C-130 Hercules *189th Airlift Wing, ...

, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th and

195th New York State Legislature The 195th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 2003, to December 31, 2004, during the ninth and tenth years of George Pataki's governorship A governor is an ...

s. Méndez was a delegate to the 1980,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and 1988 Democratic National Conventions.. Méndez was a delegate to the 1980,

and 1988 Democratic National Conventions. In 1984, she was chosen as Secretary of the Senate Minority Conference. In 1993, Méndez became the first Puerto Rican woman to be chosen Chairperson of the Senate Minority Conference. At times Méndez offered her political support to Republicans when doing so would have been beneficial to her district. She was often criticized by her peers for this bi-partisanship. In December 2002, Méndez left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party, as she felt that "she and the voters had been taken for granted by the Democrats." Switching parties made re-election very tenuous in her heavily Democratic and majority-Hispanic district. On November 4, 2004, Méndez was heavily defeated by José M. Serrano, son of U.S. Congressman

José E. Serrano José Enrique Serrano (born October 24, 1943) is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 until his retirement in 2021. Serrano, a Democrat from New York, represented a district that is one of the ...

, taking only 18 percent of the vote. During her final six months in office she served as the Chairwoman of the Senate Labor Committee.

Death and legacy

Méndez was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

in 1993 and underwent surgery. She said that she shared her story in order to educate others. She died after a 16-year battle at her East Harlem apartment on July 29, 2009, aged 84. New York City's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, who was both a former Democrat and a former Republican, credited Méndez with impressing upon him the "importance of reaching across partisan lines to do what's right for your constituents." Bloomberg stated the following:

Legacy

Among the many awards and recognitions which Méndez was awarded were the following: *the Operation Push National Citizenship Award, *Effective Leadership Golden Age Award *Hunter College Presidential Medal of Honor She was also named to the Civil Liberties Honor Roll. A public housing building which bears her name was constructed in Spanish Harlem in Manhattan.Corbnell Pace, Inc.
/ref>

References

External links

New York Times coverage of Méndez
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Olga A. 1925 births 2009 deaths American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from breast cancer Teachers College, Columbia University alumni New York (state) Democrats New York (state) Republicans New York (state) state senators People from East Harlem People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico alumni Yeshiva University alumni Women state legislators in New York (state) 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state)