José Eladio Benedicto y Geigel (March 21, 1880 – July 24, 1924) was the

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, and briefly served as acting

governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...

in 1921.

Biography

In his early life, Benedicto attended the University of Madrid, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree. In 1902, he graduated with a law degree from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

and was licensed to practice in Michigan and Puerto Rico. He subsequently was appointed as a

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a Arecibo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Utuado and Ciales, Puerto Rico, Ciale ...

. He also worked as a law

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

. In 1908, he was appointed as treasurer. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Benedicto was partly responsible for a campaign to advertise the sale of

Liberty Bonds A liberty bond or liberty loan was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financia ...

on the island. This plan would ultimately bring in nearly $10 million for the war effort, or approximately $9 per person in the territory. As treasurer, he also fought a legal battle against the Porto Rican American Tobacco Company. This battle eventually made it to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

and they issued an opinion favoring the treasurer in 1924. Shortly after

Emmet Montgomery Reily Emmet Montgomery Reily (October 21, 1866 – October 31, 1954), sometimes E. Mont Reily was a Texas and, later, Missouri politician who served a number of local offices, especially in Fort Worth and Kansas City. He was active in the Republican P ...

was appointed as governor, Benedicto was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...

by a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

on corruption charges and was removed as treasurer by the governor in 1921. However, he was later acquitted of charges.

References

Political Graveyard: Benedum to Benito
*COMMISSIONER DEFENDS PORTO RICO TREASURER; Davila, Replying to Gov. Reily, Says Benedicto Was Exonerated of Charges. *By Jose E. Benedicto, Treasurer of Porto Rico. Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine (1868–1935). San Francisco: Apr 1919.Vol.VOL. LXXIII, Iss. No. 4; pg. 316, 4 pgs *The Red Triangle in Porto Rico By W. G. Coxhead, Secretary of Y. M. C. A. at Camp Las Casas. Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine (1868–1935). San Francisco: Apr 1919.Vol.VOL. LXXIII, Iss. No. 4; pg. 343, 3 pgs , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedicto, Jose E. 1880 births 1924 deaths 20th-century Puerto Rican lawyers Complutense University of Madrid alumni Governors of Puerto Rico Secretaries of Treasury of Puerto Rico University of Michigan Law School alumni