José de Guzmán Benítez (1857 – 28 October 1923) was Mayor of
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...
, from 28 February 1901 until 1902. José de Guzmán Benítez is best known for his 1899 campaign initiative, presented to the people of Puerto Rico, asking for the creation of a pro-American political party.
Early years
Guzmán Benítez was born in 1857 to Manuel De Guzman and Modesta Benitez. He married Carmen Soto Rodriguez, from
Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
Sabana Grande () is a Sabana Grande barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Lajas, Puerto Rico, Lajas and Guánica, Puerto Rico, Guánica; south of Maricao, Puerto Rico, Maricao; east of ...
, with whom he had a son named Jose Ignacio (1884–1941).
Mayoral term
Guzmán Benítez, along with his chief of police Rodulfo Figueroa were regarded by the
Federal Party Federal Party may refer to:
*Federal Party (1973) – a provincial political party in modern Argentina
* Federal Party (Philippines) – political parties in the Philippines from 1953 to 1961 and 1981
*Federal Party (Puerto Rico)
*Federal Par ...
as "highly controversial" figures due to their association with members of Ponce's lower class. The
Republican side of Ponce's Municipal Assembly, meanwhile, demanded Guzmán Benítez's resignation but a crowd of Ponce residents, numbering some two thousand, took over the halls of the Assembly building, coming to Guzmán Benítez's defense.
A
caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
was made of De Guzmán Benítez of his 1900 election win that is well preserved. The 1900
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
was significant in that it was the first election since the United States invaded the Island in 1898.
With the arrival of the Americans in Puerto Rico in 1898, De Guzmán Benítez proposed the creation of a pro-American political party. The proposal caught the attention of
Jose Celso Barbosa
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph.
Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean
* Jose ben Halafta ...
, leader of the
Partido Ortodoxo de Puerto Rico Partido, partidista and partidario may refer to:
* Spanish for a political party, people who share political ideology or who are brought together by common issues
Territorial subdivision
* Partidos of Buenos Aires, the second-level administrative ...
(Orthodox Party of Puerto Rico). Celso Barbosa held a party assembly in San Juan to which De Guzmán Benítez was invited. The 4 July 1899 assembly resulted in the creation of the
Partido Republicano de Puerto Rico (Republican Party of Puerto Rico).
Death
De Guzmán Benítez died in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 28 October 1923, as a result of a cardiac arrest, more specifically an
asystole
Asystole (New Latin, from Greek privative a "not, without" + ''systolē'' "contraction") is the absence of ventricular contractions in the context of a lethal heart arrhythmia (in contrast to an induced asystole on a cooled patient on a heart-lun ...
.
[Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001 for José De Guzmán Benitez. Defunciones (Deaths), Santurce, Defunciones 1918-1924. Folio 235. Acta Numero 824. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico. Registro Civil de San Juan. Tomo 1. Julio 1 de 1918 a Marzo 27 del 1919. Santurce, Puerto Rico.] He was 67 years old.
See also
*
*
List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
*
List of mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico
This is a list of mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico's southern economic center, the island's second largest and second most important city.
From 1692 to 1840, the office of mayor in Ponce was filled either by local hacendados or ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. pp. 319-320. Item 1603.
* "Las ultimas elecciones en Puerto Rico: el gobierno americano protegiendo a los ladrones de voto." ''Puerto Rico Herald.'' 27 Noviembre 1902. pp. 295-298.
* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 109. Item 560.
* ''The Representative Men of Puerto Rico.'' Compiled and edited by F.E. Jackson & Son. C. Frederiksen, artist and photographer. s.l.: F.E. Jackson & Son. 1901. (PUCPR; Universidad Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, UPR).
* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 116. Item 589.
* Felix Bernier Matos. ''Cromos ponceños.'' (por Fray Justo) Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta "La Libertad." 1896. (Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO)
* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada.'' Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 339. Item 1687.
* Jose G. del Valle. ''A través de diez años (1897-1907): trabajos políticos, económicos, históricos y sociales.'' Barcelona, España: Establecimiento Tipográfico de Feliú y Susanna. 1907. (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ponce.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman Benitez, Jose De
Mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico
1857 births
1923 deaths
19th-century Puerto Rican politicians
20th-century mayors of places in Puerto Rico