Robert Garcia (January 9, 1933 – January 25, 2017) was a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
who represented
New York's 21st district (
South Bronx). He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1965 and the New York State Senate in 1967, and then served in Congress from 1978 to 1990.
Early life
Garcia was born in
Bronx, New York, of parents born in
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 ...
. His father was born in Spain then immigrated to Puerto Rico and had worked in the ''Central Aguirre'' sugar mill on the island's south coast; his mother was born and raised in
Ponce. They had migrated to New York City from the island in the 1920s; being born on the island, the
Jones Act of 1917 had made them U.S. citizens, their ship bypassing
Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
and docking directly at
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
Education and war service
He attended the New York City public schools and graduated from
Haaren High School 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 ...
in 1950. He served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
from 1950–53 during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
as a radio operator with the
Third Infantry Division. He continued his education from 1953–57 by enrolling in the
City College of New York, although he also attended the Community College of New York as well as the RCA Institute.
After graduation, he worked as a computer engineer with IBM Control Data, from 1957–65.
Public service career
Garcia's first experience in politics was circulating nominating petitions for
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
's 1960 presidential bid, and he quickly became active in local politics along with
Herman Badillo
Herman Badillo (pronounced ''bah-DEE-yoh''; August 21, 1929 – December 3, 2014) was an American politician who served as borough president of The Bronx and United States Representative, and ran for Mayor of New York City. He was the first Pu ...
under the tutelage of Felipe Torres. Garcia was elected a
Democratic member of the
New York State Assembly in
1966 and
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
.
On March 28, 1967, he was elected to the
New York State Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Eugene Rodriguez
Eugene A. Rodriguez (November 14, 1916 – October 23, 1996) was a Cuban-born jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.
Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Rodriguez began his career in racing at Oriental Park in Havana, a racetrack which in 1980 would ...
. He retained his seat in the Assembly until the end of the session of 1967. He took his seat in the State Senate at the beginning of the 1968 session and remained in the State Senate until 1978, serving in the
177th,
178th,
179th,
180th,
181st and
182nd New York State Legislature
The 182nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met in Albany from January 5, 1977, to December 31, 1978, during the third and fourth years of Hugh Carey's governorship.
Backgrou ...
. In the Senate he was Deputy Minority Leader from 1975 to 1978. He was a delegate to the
1976 Democratic National Convention.
He took a keen interest in prison conditions at New York's correctional facilities. As a result, at the outbreak of the
Attica Prison riot
The Attica Prison Riot, also known as the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Attica Uprising, or the Attica Prison Massacre, took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the high ...
in early September 1971, he was asked by Republican Governor
Nelson Rockefeller to serve on the Mediation Committee sent into the burning prison along with Badillo and others. 39 hostages and inmates were killed, and 89 others were wounded, when state troops stormed the prison.
Congress
A Democrat, Garcia was first nevertheless elected to Congress (
95th United States Congress
The 95th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1977, ...
) from the Bronx on the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
tickets on February 14, 1978, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Herman Badillo
Herman Badillo (pronounced ''bah-DEE-yoh''; August 21, 1929 – December 3, 2014) was an American politician who served as borough president of The Bronx and United States Representative, and ran for Mayor of New York City. He was the first Pu ...
; He took his seat on February 21, 1978, as a Democrat, however, after being accepted by the Democratic Caucus in the House. He was re-elected to the
96th,
97th,
98th,
99th,
100th and
101st United States Congress
The 101st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1989 ...
es.
* Garcia was the official representative of the United States Congress to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, and was instrumental in developing better relations between Spain and Latin America and both the Carter and Reagan Administrations.
* He was instrumental in the release of
DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
Agents being held by
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, meeting repeatedly over several days with then-president
Fidel Castro.
* Garcia also had a prominent role in designation of the
Martin Luther King National Holiday.
* He joined with Republican Congressman
Jack Kemp to draft and pass the Kemp-Garcia Enterprise Zone law designed to create jobs in inner-city neighborhoods.
* As a member of the US Delegation celebrating the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979 he met with Chairman
Teng Hsiao-ping and other Chinese leaders.
* Garcia was a pioneer in helping American Hispanics achieve political representation and benefits to which they were entitled due to their growing population. He convinced
President Carter to include "Hispanic" as an option for the first time in the history of the
US Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
in 1980.
* As the only Representative of Puerto Rican descent with a vote on the floor of Congress (Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner could then vote in Committee, but not on the Floor), Garcia was the ''de facto'' Congressman representing 3.6 million US citizens on the Island-Territory, and was often called upon to represent their interests in legislation before the House.
Legal investigation and resignation
Garcia remained in Congress until January 7, 1990, when he decided to resign following his trial on charges by US Attorney Rudy Giuliani that he was linked to the
Wedtech scandal.
Wedtech conviction and exoneration
The overarching case that came to be known as the
Wedtech
The Wedtech scandal was an American political scandal involving the award of government contracts. It was first brought to light in 1986.
History
The Wedtech Corporation was founded in the Bronx, New York by John Mariotta, and originally manufac ...
Scandal stemmed from Bronx defense contractor Wedtech Corporation loans obtained from the Small Business Administration (SBA), a Federal agency which was giving loans to minority-owned businesses in the 1980s. Wedtech had been founded by a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, John Mariotta, but one of his partners, Fred Neuberger, quietly acquired more than 50% ownership, which suddenly made the company ineligible for special SBA treatment and millions of dollars in government contracts. Wedtech continued to claim it was minority-owned anyway.
Federal investigations mushroomed into something much larger that would end up implicating more than twenty people, both in government and in business. Garcia was convicted of extortion, but his conviction was reversed by the Appellate Court.
Later life and death
Following the reversal of his conviction, Garcia joined
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as P ...
's "Prison Fellowship" program, which he developed to minister to those in prison. Both Garcia's father and sister, Aimee, had become pastors in the Pentecostal Church, and Garcia worked with Colson for a time. He continued to consult for public and private-sector clients in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico and continued to do so with Garcia Associates.
Garcia died from an infection due to his
emphysema on January 25, 2017, in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...
, sixteen days after his 84th birthday.
Honors and recognitions
In addition to the many awards bestowed on him while in elected public service, former Congressman Garcia is increasingly being recognized for his pioneering role in Black and Hispanic politics, with organizations such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the New York State Assembly and Senate and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) honoring him at gala events in 2015 and 2016.
See also
*
List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
*
List of federal political scandals in the United States
This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent.
Scope and organization of political scandals
This article is organized by presidential terms ...
*
*
Nuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the N ...
*
Puerto Ricans in New York City
Puerto Ricans have both immigrated and migrated to New York City. The first group of Puerto Ricans immigrated to New York City in the mid-19th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony and its people Spanish subjects. The following wave o ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Robert
1933 births
2017 deaths
American politicians of Puerto Rican descent
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
Haaren High School alumni
Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state)
IBM employees
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Military personnel from New York City
New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes
Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
Politicians from the Bronx
Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
Members of Congress who became lobbyists