Victoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza (born December 24, 1940) is a former politician from

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 ...

. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico,

Luis Muñoz Marín José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth." In 1948 he ...

, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza. Muñoz Mendoza was the first woman in Puerto Rican history to seek the office of Governor of Puerto Rico.

Education

Muñoz attended University High School in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. She went to 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 ...

, where she received a degree in

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

in 1962.

Political career

Muñoz Mendoza first went into active in politics in 1984, when she made an unsuccessful bid to become

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of San Juan. In 1986, she was chosen to replace a senator in 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 ...

. She held the seat for seven years, after having been re-elected in 1988. In 1992, she became the first woman to seek the governorship of Puerto Rico."Summary of November 3, 1992 General Election Results"
''Elections in Puerto Rico''. Retrieved 2011-02-11. She faced

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 ...

of the New Progressive Party and ended up losing. She retired from politics soon after her electoral defeat. In 2000,

Sila María Calderón Sila María Calderón Serra (born September 23, 1942) is a Puerto Rican politician, businesswoman, and philanthropist who was the governor of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first woman elected to that office. Prior to her term as gov ...

was elected Governor of Puerto Rico, becoming the first woman to do so. Muñoz Mendoza vigorously campaigned and endorsed her, fulfilling her dream of having a female Governor.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz Mendoza, Victoria 1940 births Living people Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians Puerto Rican women in politics