Rafael León y García,
a.k.a., Rafael de León (c. 1814 – c. 1885), was
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
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 1874 to 1875.
Mayoral term
León y García is remembered for various accomplishments during his short stay as Mayor of Ponce. He is remembered for issuing, in 1874, a circular describing the urgent need to conserve
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 ...
’s forests to avoid ruining the island's agriculture. Only 9700 hectares (23,969 acres) of heavily timbered forest remained in the
Luquillo Forest at the time. Closer to his hometown of Ponce, he is also remembered for spearheading, on 20 May 1874, the project that would eventually result in the construction of the
Acueducto de Ponce.
[Socorro Giron. ''Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina.'' Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. 1992. pp.171, 172. (Citing Lidio Cruz Monclova's ''Historia de Puerto Rico, Tomo II,'' pp. 871, 872.)]
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 ...
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. p. 204. Item 1051.
* Alcalde Rafael Leon y Garcia, Villa de Ponce. ''Villa de Ponce: Datos estadísticos de 1874.'' (microfilm) Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1874? (UPR-microfilm).
* Fay Fowlie de Flores. ''Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada.'' Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 335. Item 1667.
* Villa de Ponce. ''Presupuesto municipal del ilustre Ayuntamiento de la Villa de Ponce para el año económico de 1874 a 1875.'' Ponce, Puerto Rico: H. Lara -- Imprenta Nueva, 1874. (Biblioteca del Congreso (Washington, D.C.; Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO
otocopia
1810s births
1880s deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain
Mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico
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