William Miranda Marín (September 23, 1940 – June 4, 2010) was the

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 Caguas,

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 ...

, from 1997 until his death in 2010.

Personal life

The son of José Miranda Gómez, a

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

cutter, and Rafaela Marín, a tobacco stripper, Miranda Marín was born in the Tomás de Castro sector of rural Caguas. and graduated from the José Gautier Benítez High School in Caguas in 1957. Four years later, he earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. In 1969 he completed his Juris Doctor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1970. Miranda Marín and his wife had three children: William Edgardo, Luis Alexander, and José Juan. They resided in the sector of Bairoa in Caguas.

Businessman

Miranda Marín held top positions at Empresas Díaz and the San Juan Cement Co. from 1979 to 1990, among them treasurer, executive vice-president, and co-chairman of the board. Before seeking public office for the first time in 1996, he devoted three years to housing and commercial development. Miranda Marín also served as member and treasurer of the board of the Puerto Rico Health Services Corp., as chairman of the board of the San Juan Children's Choir, and as chairman of the board of the Community Services Institute.

Political career and public service

He served as executive vice president of the Government Development Bank from 1973 to 1975, as executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority from 1975 to 1976, and he also served as executive director of the Office for Improvement of the Public Schools of Puerto Rico from 1990 to 1992. Miranda Marín also was the chairman of the U.S. Democratic Party Chapter of Puerto Rico, secretary-general of 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 ...

(PPD), chairman of the PPD Status Commission, and president of the Puerto Rico Mayors Association. Until his death, he was chairman of the board of the Municipal Revenue Collections Center (CRIM by its acronym in Spanish). His candidacy had been considered by the Popular Democratic Party (PPD by its acronym in Spanish) to be a viable contender for the Governorship of Puerto Rico.

Military career

William Miranda Marín served for 36 years in the Puerto Rico National Guard starting as Private E-1 enlisted citizen-soldier in 1959. Attended Army Officer Candidate School and earned the rank of infantry 2nd lieutenant in 1963. William Miranda Marín founded the PRNG Institutional Trust (FIGNA). Attended the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle post office address and with a portion in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

. Miranda Marín retired in 1993 as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard with the rank of Major General (1990–1993)

Military awards

Political Views

Miranda Marín's views were regarded as ''soberanista,'' which seeks more sovereign political powers from the US outside the current framework of E.L.A. ( Estado Libre Asociado).

Mayor of Caguas

On January 13, 1997 Miranda Marín became the mayor of Caguas and had since won re-election in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Death

On September 18, 2009, Miranda Marín announced that he had been diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. On June 4, 2010, at 7:45 in the morning, Miranda Marín died in the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, after battling his illness. He was cremated, and his ashes were placed at Jardín Botánico y Cultural William Miranda Marín in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Legacy

The building of the institutional trust of the National Guard of Puerto Rico on State Road #1 from Caguas to Río Piedras at the former facilities of Euro Bank, was posthumously named General William Miranda Marín. A monument for William Miranda Marín is located at the corner of Acosta St and Paradis St in Caguas. In 2022 William Miranda Marín was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marin, William Miranda 1940 births 2010 deaths Deaths from pancreatic cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Puerto Rico Mayors of places in Puerto Rico National Guard (United States) generals People from Caguas, Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rican businesspeople Puerto Rican military officers Puerto Rican Roman Catholics Adjutants General of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico National Guard personnel Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) United States Army War College alumni University of Puerto Rico alumni