Rafael Martínez Nadal (April 22, 1877 – July 6, 1941) was a Puerto Rican politician,

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, journalist, and businessman. He was the third president 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 th ...

, serving from 1933 to 1941.

Early years

Rafael Martínez Nadal was born on April 22, 1877 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He was an orphan from an early age, since his mother, Estebanía Nadal Freyre died hours after his birth, and his father, Rafael Martínez Santana, when he was only five years old. After that, he was raised in

Maricao, Puerto Rico Maricao () is a Maricao barrio-pueblo, town and the second-least populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico; it is located at the western edge of the Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico, Cordillera Central. It is a small town ...

by his paternal aunts. He then studied 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 jur ...

Professional life

At the age of sixteen, his tutor sent him to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain to study law. However, he interrupted his studies and went to live in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He spent the next years between Paris,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and

, where he was a businessman in fields as varied as bullfighting, meat distribution, theater production and coffee importation. On August 13, 1904, Martínez Nadal returned to Mayagüez, where he dedicated to the business of coffee. He also became a journalist and joined the

Puerto Rico Republican Party The Republican Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Republicano de Puerto Rico) is the local affiliate of the national United States Republican Party in Puerto Rico. The affiliation started in 1903. The party does not participate in the November ...

founded several years earlier by doctor

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 ...

. In 1908 he founded the "El Combate" newspaper. In 1912, he moved to Ponce and began studying again, receiving his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

. His practice became so prominent that, even decades later, many court observers quipped a popular rhyme in Spanish, "Temblaba la corte, temblaba el fiscal, temblaban los jueces, cuando llegaba Martínez Nadal" ("the court trembled, the DA trembled, the judge trembled, when Martínez Nadal arrived").

Political career

Martínez Nadal was elected in 1914 as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Delegates, the precursor of the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico ( es, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Senat ...

representing Ponce. As a member of the

Republican Party of Puerto Rico The Republican Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Republicano de Puerto Rico) is the local affiliate of the national United States Republican Party in Puerto Rico. The affiliation started in 1903. The party does not participate in the November ...

, he was elected to the

in 1920. When the Union Party joined the Republican Party in 1924 forming

Alianza Puertorriqueña Alianza Puertorriqueña was a major political party in Puerto Rico. The party was founded in 1924 by the union of the liberal wing of the Republican Party and the Union of Puerto Rico advocating for more unity amongst people from different id ...

, Martínez Nadal left his party in disagreement. He then formed a party called the Partido Constitucional Histórico, aligning with the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

of Santiago Iglesias Pantín. He was then reelected in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

. After the Alianza disbanded, Martínez Nadal formed another party called the Republican Union, under his presidency. He was reelected in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and was elected President of the

. He served as such until his death from cancer on July 6, 1941 in

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 ...

. He was buried at

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...

Legacy

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

Guaynabo 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 ...

is named after Martínez Nadal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Rafael 1877 births 1941 deaths Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican lawyers Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Presidents of the Senate of Puerto Rico