Sergio Peña Clos (June 13, 1927 – March 20, 2018) was a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He was 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 1980 to 2004.

Early years and studies

Sergio Peña Clos was born on June 13, 1927, on

Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...

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 ...

, to Dr. Sergio Peña Almodóvar and Maria Clos Ribót. He finished the eighth grade at the Ponce de León public school in his hometown, and graduated from high school from the Colegio San José in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

at the age of fourteen. With only 15 years, Peña Clos enrolled at the University of St. Louis in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, where he studied for three years. He then returned to Puerto Rico and in 1951, he finished his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in social science at 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 ...

. In 1955, he graduated as an attorney from the

University of Puerto Rico School of Law The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a law school in Puerto Rico. It is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System. It ...

Professional career

At age 21, Peña Clos was a judicial adviser to judge Julio Suárez Garriga. At the age of 23, he opened his own law firm in

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...

working as a criminal lawyer. In 1960, while working at the

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 ...

, Peña Clos became interested in the case of Salvador Agron ("The Capeman") and Tony Hernández ("Umbrella Man"), two Puerto Rican gang members (aged 16 and 15 respectively) accused of murdering two innocent teenagers and sentenced to death row. Peña Clos appeared at the New York Court of Appeals as a friend of the court, analyzing the case. Peña Clos also met with Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and eventually Agrón's death sentence was eliminated, while Hernández' sentence was revoked. In 1975, Peña Clos was named member and Vice President of the Civil Rights Commission of the Government of Puerto Rico. He remained in the commission until 1977.

Political career

First terms as Senator with the PPD: 1980-1996

Peña Clos began his political career in 1980 when he was elected to the

for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). During that term, he was elected as President pro tempore of the Senate, under

Miguel Hernández Agosto Miguel Hernández Agosto (April 5, 1927 – March 18, 2016) was a Puerto Rican politician whose service in government spanned several generations. Affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), he started his political career as a Cabinet m ...

. Peña Clos was reelected in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and continued to serve as president pro tempore until 1988. Peña Clos was again reelected in the elections of

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

and 1992.

Senator with the PNP: 1996-2000

Peña Clos left the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and joined the New Progressive Party (PNP) appearing in their ballot as Senator for the 1996 elections. He was reelected once again and presided the Commission of Government Ethics and the Special Commission on the Events of the

Cerro Maravilla incident The Cerro Maravilla murders, also known as the Cerro Maravilla massacre, occurred on July 25, 1978, at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Ponce, Puerto Rico,

Independent senator and return to the PPD: 2000-2004

Peña Clos was again reelected in 2000 with the New Progressive Party. However, he left the party in the middle of his term and declared himself an independent senator. He finished the term returning to the Popular Democratic Party. He presented his candidacy under the PPD for the 2003 primaries, but lost.

Later years: 2004-2018

Peña Clos continued working as an attorney. He also collaborated as a political commentator in television and radio shows. He died on March 20, 2018, at the age of 90.

Personal life

Peña Clos was married to Zoraida Ortiz Rivera, who was almost 40 years younger. In 2005, the senator was accused of domestic violence against Ortiz, but a jury absolved him of the charge.

References

External links

Biografía Sergio Peña Clos
on SenadoPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Sergio 1927 births 2018 deaths Colegio San José alumni People from Humacao, Puerto Rico Presidents pro tempore of the Senate of Puerto Rico Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico alumni