Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz (April 20, 1907 – September 16, 1994) served as

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 11th

Resident Commissioner Resident commissioner was or is an official title of several different types of commissioners, who were or are representatives of any level of government. Historically, they were appointed by the British Crown in overseas protectorates (such ...

from 1969 to 1973. His father, Félix Córdova Dávila, had served as Puerto Rico's fourth Resident Commissioner from 1917 to 1932.

Biography

Born in Manatí, Puerto Rico, Córdova was a 1924 graduate of St. John's College High School in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. He attained his A.B. in 1928 from

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

, and his LL.B. in 1931 from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. He was a lawyer in private practice. He served as a Superior Court judge in San Juan from 1940 to 1945. He served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1945 to 1946.

Congress

Córdova was unexpectedly elected, as the New Progressive Party candidate for Resident Commissioner, for a four-year term (1969–1973) that spanned the Ninety-First and Ninety-Second Congress. His victory as gubernatorial candidate

Luis A. Ferré Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 October 20, 2003) was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the governor of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. He was the founder of the ...

's running mate, was unexpected since the Popular Democratic Party had ruled Puerto Rico for 28 consecutive years. Although a Republican, he sat with the Democrats in caucus. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1972, and became a business executive.

Later career

Prior to Córdova's death, then-Senator

Kenneth McClintock Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s Na ...

authored legislation, signed by Governor

Pedro Rosselló Pedro Juan Rosselló González, (; born April 5, 1944) is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001. He was President of the New Progressive Party from 1991 to 1999 and 2003 to 2008, a ...

, that created the Córdova Congressional Internship Program honoring Córdova Díaz and his father and Congressional predecessor, Félix Córdova Dávila. The program allows 40 college students to spend a semester-long internship in the United States Congress every year. Since its inception, over 600 students have participated in the program which is run by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Scholarships and a joint committee of Puerto Rico's Legislative Assembly, chaired for many years by McClintock and currently chaired by senator Melinda Romero Donnelly.

Death

He died on September 16, 1994, at his home

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spr ...

at the age of 87.

Notes

Sources