Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón (April 22, 1855 – December 13, 1913) was a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician, a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, and a lifelong political contrarian. He favored Puerto Rican autonomy when

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 ...

was a Spanish colony. After the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, when the island was ceded to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he advocated statehood for Puerto Rico. In later years, Matienzo Cintrón supported Puerto Rico's independence.

Early years

Matienzo Cintrón was born in the town of

Luquillo, Puerto Rico Luquillo () is a Luquillo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Fajardo; and east of Río Grande, Puerto Rico, Rio Grande. Luquillo i ...

where he received his primary and secondary education. He moved to Spain to continue his education at the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

, and earned his law degree there in 1875. His daughter, Carlota Matienzo Román, was born in 1881 in Barcelona.María de Fátima Barceló-Miller (1998). "Halfhearted Solidarity: Women Workers and the Women's Suffrage Movement in Puerto Rico During the 1920s", in Félix V. Matos Rodríguez ; Linda C. Delgado, ''Puerto Rican Women's History: New Perspectives'', M. E. Sharpe. pp. 127–129, 131 Upon his return to Puerto Rico with his wife and new daughter, he moved to the city of Mayagüez and established his law practice.El Nuevo Dia

Political career

In November 1885 Matienzo Cintrón was accused by the colonial government of being a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, which was illegal as it was opposed by the state Catholic Church. He was briefly imprisoned. After his release, he ran for the position of provisional representative for the district of Mayagüez and was elected. In 1887, Matienzo Cintrón assisted the Assembly of Autonomists in Teatro La Perla in the city of Ponce. During the assembly, Luis Muñoz Rivera proposed founding the Puerto Rican Autonomist Party. Matienzo Cintrón supported the proposal, and became one of the party's most prominent figures. From the beginning, Matienzo Cintrón had some differences with Muñoz Rivera. At first he was against Muñoz Rivera's suggestion that their party make a pact with the Spanish Liberal Fusionist Party, headed by

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta Práxedes Mariano Mateo Sagasta y Escolar (21 July 1825 – 5 January 1903) was a Spanish civil engineer and politician who served as Prime Minister on eight occasions between 1870 and 1902—always in charge of the Liberal Party—as part of t ...

. Later he came to agree that such a pact would be to their benefit. Matienzo Cintrón was named to the commission which, along with Luis Muñoz Rivera, José Gómez Brioso and Federico Degetau, traveled to Spain to make official the pact with the Spanish Liberal Fusionist Party. On February 12, 1897, the Puerto Rican Autonomist Party held an assembly in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, where new suggestions to the pact made by Matienzo Cintrón were approved. He recommended renaming the Puerto Rican Autonomist Party as the Puerto Rican Liberal Fusionist Party. A group of members, headed by Dr.

José Celso Barbosa José Celso Barbosa Alcala (July 27, 1857 – September 21, 1921) was a Puerto Rican physician, sociologist and political leader. Known as the father of the statehood movement in Puerto Rico, Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican, and one of th ...

, did not agree with some of the new by-laws, and consequently, the party divided into two factions. In 1898, the United States declared war against Spain in what is known as the

. The United States forces under the command of Major General

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...

invaded Puerto Rico via the town of Guanica in a military operation known as the Puerto Rico Campaign. Miles and his men were officially greeted that following August by a committee headed by Matienzo Cintrón, who provided the general with a banquet in his honor. Miles named Matienzo Cintrón President of the Ponce Audience, a position which he held until 1899.

Puerto Rican Republican Party

On July 4, 1899, Barbosa founded the pro-statehood Puerto Rican Republican Party and Matienzo Cintrón became a member. Although he belonged to the executive counsel of the party, Cintrón still had personal differences with Barbosa. He quit the party. Together with Luis Muñoz Rivera (who had returned from a self exile in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

), Antonio R. Barceló, Eduardo Georgetti, and

José de Diego José de Diego y Martínez (April 16, 1866 – July 16, 1918) was a Puerto Rican statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's political autonomy in union with Spain and later of Puerto Rican independence from the United St ...

, he founded the Union of Puerto Rico Party. Their political ideology was based on repeal of the Foraker Act, and the enhancement of Puerto Rican autonomy, as a pathway to full independence. On June 5, 1900, President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

named Matienzo Cintrón, together with José Celso Barbosa, José de Diego, Manuel Camuñas and Andrés Crosas to an Executive Cabinet under U.S.-appointed Governor Charles H. Allen, the first civilian governor of Puerto Rico. The Executive Cabinet also included six American members.Chronology of Puerto Rico in the Spanish–American War
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Later years

In 1904, Matienzo Cintrón was elected to 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 the district of Humacao. In 1906 and 1908, he was elected to represent the district of Mayagüez. He served as ''Presidente de la Camara'' (President of the Chamber) from 1905 to 1906. In 1912, Matienzo Cintrón became convinced the party was not doing enough to promote Puerto Rico's independence. He left to organize another party, the ''Partido de la Independencia''. On February 8, 1912, together with Luis Lloréns Torres, Manuel Zeno Gandía and others, he wrote a manifesto demanding the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States.Luis Llorens Torres
, Zonai The Independence Party, which also included Eugenio Benítez Castaño and Pedro Franceschi as founding members, was the first party in the history of Puerto Rico to establish an absolute and non-negotiable demand for Puerto Rican independence. In this manner, the Independence Party established a precedent for future organizations with similar ideologies.

Legacy

Matienzo Cintrón died on December 13, 1913, in his hometown of Luquillo and was buried at Old Luquillo Municipal Cemetery. The government of Puerto Rico honored his memory by naming an elementary school in the town of Sabana Grande, and a plaza in Luquillo, after him.

Early years

Political career

Puerto Rican Republican Party

Later years

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

Further reading