David Bonilla Cortés (born February 1, 1974) is a Puerto Rican

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was a member of the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of 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 Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

from 2009 to 2013 representing District 18.

Early years and studies

David Bonilla Cortés was born on February 1, 1974, in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. He is the youngest of three children. When he was 9 months old, his parents returned to Puerto Rico. When he was 15 years old, his parents sent him with his brother back to New York with a relative, with hopes of a better education. On July 7, 1989, while walking with his brother on

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff, is an Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Village, incorporated village in the Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Town, town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New Y ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, they witnessed an explosion in a ship that was refueling. Bonilla and his brother jumped in the water to help the drowning crew. Bonilla returned to Puerto Rico where he completed his high school studies. Later, he completed a

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

in Criminal Justice.

Professional career

After graduating from high school, Bonilla joined the

Puerto Rico Police Department The Puerto Rico Police (PPR; , ), officially the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (, ), is a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a division of the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety (PR DPS), ...

, where he served for 14 years.

Political career

In 2007, Bonilla decided to run for a vacant seat for District 18 in the

House of Representatives of Puerto Rico The House of Representatives of 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 Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

. After winning the primary, he was forced to resign from the Police on December 31, 2007. Bonilla was elected as Representative at the 2008 general election. During his first term, he presided the Commission of Sports and Recreation, and was a member of the Commissions of Youth, Agriculture, Federal Relations, Veteran Affairs, Transportation, and others. In 2012, Bonilla attempted to run for reelection, but was defeated in the PNP primaries by

Angel Muñoz Angel Muñoz Suárez, is a Puerto Rican politician affiliated with the New Progressive (PNP). He was elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives in 2012 to represent District 18. He holds two Bachelor's Degrees, one of them in Accoun ...

Personal life

Has two children Adrianna and Adrian Bonilla.

References

External links

David Bonilla Cortés Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonilla Cortes, David Living people 1974 births New Progressive Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico Politicians from New York City 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico