Ronald de Lugo (August 2, 1930 – July 14, 2020) was an American politician. He was the first Delegate from the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

. Ron de Lugo's parents were Puerto Ricans. Mr. De Lugo's grandfather owned a hardware store and gun dealership in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Ron's parents were living in New Jersey at the time Ron was born and also lived in the Virgin Islands as civil servants. He was born in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from po ...

, and attended the Colegio San José,

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 ...

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

as a program director and announcer for the Armed Forces Radio Service. He worked at WSTA radio in St. Thomas and also at WIVI in St. Croix. He was a Virgin Islands territorial Senator, a

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

man, the administrator for St. Croix, the representative of the Virgin Islands to Washington, D.C., and a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968. De Lugo was elected as a Democratic Delegate to the United States House of Representatives, serving from January 3, 1973 to January 3, 1979. De Lugo chose not to seek re-election to the U.S. House in 1978 in order to pursue a bid for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. De Lugo challenged incumbent Democratic Governor Juan Francisco Luis in the 1978 gubernatorial election. He chose Eric E. Dawson, a

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 ...

in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, as his running mate for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. Governor Juan Luis defeated de Lugo in the gubernatorial general election on November 7, 1978. Gov. Luis and Lt. Henry Millin won 10,978 votes, or 59.2% of the total vote. De Lugo and Dawson placed second, garnering 7,568 votes, or 40.8%. Luis won all three of the U.S. Virgin Islands' main islands in the election. He was elected to the House again, serving from January 3, 1981 to January 3, 1995. He was a resident of Saint Croix. De Lugo died on July 14, 2020, less than a month before his 90th birthday.

Legacy

The Ron de Lugo Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on St. Thomas is named after him.

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lugo, Ron De 1930 births 2020 deaths Colegio San José alumni Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands politicians Hispanic and Latino American politicians People from Englewood, New Jersey People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Military personnel from New Jersey United States Virgin Islands military personnel Senators of the Legislature of the United States Virgin Islands American people of Puerto Rican descent

Legacy

See also

References

External links