Marco Antonio Rigau Jiménez (born August 16, 1946) is a Puerto Rican-American politician and attorney affiliated to the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He served as a member of the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control t ...

from 1989 to 1997.

Early years and studies

Marco Antonio Rigau was born on August 16, 1946 in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Rigau received his Bachelor's in Social Sciences 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 ...

on 1965, graduating magna cum laude. He then received a second bachelor's degree in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

on 1969, graduating Magna Cum Laude again. Rigau has also studied at the Instituto Interamericano de Estudios Políticos in San José, Costa Rica,

Harvard University 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 ...

, and

New York University Law School New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

Professional career

In 1966, Rigau worked as an assistant to United States Senator

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

. He also worked as a professor at the

(1967-1969) and the

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law The Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Faculty of Law ( es, links=no, Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico) is the school of law of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, a private co-educational corpor ...

(1970-1973). From 1970 to 1971, Rigau also worked as a law clerk to Associate Judge Héctor Martínez Muñoz. During the 70s and 80s, Rigau worked as legal counsel to several ministers of other countries. In 1972, he worked as counsel on United States and Puerto Rico Constitutional Law to the Minister of Justice of Canada. The next year, he worked as Director of the Office of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States. From 1973 to 1974, he served as Chairperson of the Hispanic Criminal Justice Task Force of New York and worked as counsel to the Mayor of New York City. In 1986, Rigau worked as legal counsel to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. The next year, he worked as counsel to the President and Minister of Justice of the Government of Haiti, during the process of drafting their current constitution and electoral laws. In 1994, Rigau was a Visiting Professor of Law at the

University of Vigo The University of Vigo ( gl, Universidade de Vigo) is a public university located in the city of Vigo in the Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. There are three campuses: * Campus of Vigo in Lagoas-Marcosende, between the municipalities of V ...

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") , i ...

. Rigau is a member of

Phi Sigma Alpha Phi Sigma Alpha (), commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities, Puerto Rican fraternity originally established as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity (Sociedad de Amigos) on October 22, 1928, at the University of Puert ...

Puerto Rico Bar Association The Bar Association of Puerto Rico (BAPR) or ''Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico (CAPR)'' is the bar association of Puerto Rico. It is the oldest professional association in Puerto Rico, and among the oldest bar associations in the world. The ...

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

, and the

Ateneo Puertorriqueño The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum), is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...

Political career

Rigau was elected to the

at the 1988 general elections. He was reelected at the 1992 general elections.Elecciones Generales de 1992: Senadores por Acumulación
on CEEPUR During his first term at the Senate, he presided over the Judiciary Committee.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigau, Marco 1946 births Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Living people Academic staff of the University of Vigo