Luis Muñoz Rivera (April 10, 1916 – October 6, 2006) was a senator of

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 the last surviving delegate of Puerto Rico's Constitutional Convention, which met in 1951 and 1952.

Education

He graduated from the

University of Puerto Rico School of Law The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is the law school of the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System and the only public law school in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1913 at ...

; he was a lawyer-notary. He completed a master's degree in Public Administration from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

Public life

Muñoz Rivera entered public life as San Juan Mayor Felisa Rincón's right-hand man, serving as her Special Assistant, Auditor and Budget Director for the City of San Juan. Elected on the

Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party (, PPD) is a political party in Puerto Rico that advocates to continue as a Commonwealth of the United States with self-governance. The party was founded in 1938 by dissidents from the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, Pu ...

slate of delegates to Puerto Rico's Constitutional Convention, he participated actively in the drafting of the

Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico () is the primary organizing law for the unincorporated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of Puerto Rico in nine arti ...

between 1951 and 1952. Subsequently, as an attorney, he was looked upon as an important source of guidance for constitutional interpretation. He served as a member of the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of 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 the legislative branch of ...

from 1965 to 1968. In his later years, he served as a member of the

Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission The Civil Rights Commission () is an official entity within the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico charged with investigating violations of citizens' civil rights. The commission is empowered to educate citizens about their civi ...

and in 2005 was appointed president emeritus by Governor

Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá (born 13 February 1962) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus ( LL.M. 1987) and a graduate of the University of ...

. Upon his death, flags were flown

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a sal ...

in Puerto Rico. The Governor, Senate President

Kenneth McClintock Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s N ...

and House Speaker José Aponte authorized a state funeral upon his death in 2006, the highest honor that Puerto Rico bestows upon its most notable citizens.

Death

He passed away on September 29, 2006, at the age of 90 in a hospital in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. Governor Acevedo Vilá, Senate President

, and House Speaker José Aponte authorized a state funeral following his death in 2006, the highest honor that the government of Puerto Rico grants to its most notable citizens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz Rivera, Luis 1916 births 2006 deaths People from Cayey, Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Syracuse University alumni 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico