Victoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza (born December 24, 1940) is a former politician from

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 ...

. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza. Muñoz Mendoza was the first woman in Puerto Rican history to seek the office of

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, ...

Education

Muñoz attended University High School in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. She went to 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 ...

, where she received a degree in

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

in 1962.

Political career

Muñoz Mendoza first went into active in politics in 1984, when she made an unsuccessful bid to become

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 San Juan. In 1986, she was chosen to replace a senator in the Senate of Puerto Rico. She held the seat for seven years, after having been re-elected in 1988. In 1992, she became the first woman to seek the governorship of Puerto Rico."Summary of November 3, 1992 General Election Results"
''Elections in Puerto Rico''. Retrieved 2011-02-11. She faced Pedro Rosselló of the New Progressive Party and ended up losing. She retired from politics soon after her electoral defeat. In 2000, Sila María Calderón was elected Governor of Puerto Rico, becoming the first woman to do so. Muñoz Mendoza vigorously campaigned and endorsed her, fulfilling her dream of having a female Governor.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz Mendoza, Victoria 1940 births Living people Popular Democratic Party members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Politicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico Presidents of the Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians Puerto Rican women in politics University of Puerto Rico alumni 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico