Francisco Mariano Quiñones (1830 – September 13, 1908) was a proponent of the abolition of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and of the self-determination 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 ...

Early years

Quiñones (birth name: Francisco Mariano Quiñones Quiñones) was born into a wealthy family of landowners in

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. S ...

, and at a young age developed his lifelong love for

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

and

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

. He was sent to

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where he attended private schools. After he finished his secondary education (high school), he went on to university studies in

Bremen, Germany Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. When Quiñones returned to Puerto Rico in 1848, he went to work for the family business.Biography

Abolitionist

In 1865, the Spanish Crown requested from the municipalities of Puerto Rico recommendations for new laws and Quiñones was elected representative for San Germán. In 1867, Quiñones represented Puerto Rico before the "Overseas Information Committee" meeting in

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") , ...

. Together with

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Segundo Ruiz Belvis (13 May 1829 – 3 November 1867) was a Puerto Rican abolitionist who also fought for Puerto Rico's right to independence. Early years Ruiz Belvis was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico (then a barrio of the municipality ...

and

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 demanded the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico and also protested over the injustices practiced by the governor General Romualdo Palacio González in the island.

Politician

When Quiñones returned to the island, he joined the Puerto Rican Liberal Reformist Party and in 1871 was elected as representative in front of the Spanish Courts. In Spain he continued his fight for the abolition of slavery. In 1887, Quiñones 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 ...

headed by

Luis Muñoz Rivera Luis Muñoz Rivera (July 17, 1859 – November 15, 1916) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico in union with Spain. In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part ...

. There were some disagreements between Muñoz and some of the members which led to a rupture in the party. Among those who abandoned the party were Quiñones and

José Celso Barbosa José Celso Barbosa Alcala (July 27, 1857 – September 21, 1921) was a Puerto Rican physician, sociologist and political leader. Known as the father of the statehood movement in Puerto Rico, Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican, and one of the ...

, who went on to form the Orthodox Autonomist Party. On February 10, 1898, Spain granted Puerto Rico the rights to self-determination, which was considered the first step towards independence. Quiñones was named President of Puerto Rico's first Cabinet by General Macías. In 1898, after 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 ...

when Puerto Rico became a colonial territory of 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., ...

, Quiñones joined the Puerto Rican Republican Party founded by

and which championed the idea of converting Puerto Rico into a state of the U.S. Quiñones was elected and served as a representative in Puerto Rico's House of Representatives in 1900 and 1902. Francisco Mariano Quiñones is buried in the City of

Works

Among his most important written works of literature are "''Artículos'' (1887) and ''Apuntes para la Historia de Puerto Rico'' (1888).

Notes

References

External links

*
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinones, Francisco Mariano 1830 births 1908 deaths People from San Germán, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican abolitionists