Antonio R. Barceló
| Antonio Rafael Barceló | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st President of the Senate of Puerto Rico | |
|
In office 1917–1929 |
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| Succeeded by | Luis Sánchez Morales |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martínez April 15, 1868 Fajardo, Puerto Rico |
| Died | December 15, 1938 (aged 70) San Juan, Puerto Rico, |
| Political party |
Union of Puerto Rico Alianza Puertorriqueña Liberal Party of Puerto Rico |
| Spouse(s) | Josefina Bird Arias |
| Children | Antonio Josefina Jaime María Angélica |
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martínez (April 15, 1868 – December 15, 1938) was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families. Barceló, who in 1917 became the first President of the Senate of Puerto Rico, played an instrumental role in the introduction and passage of legislation which permitted the realization of the School of Tropical Medicine and the construction of a Capitol building in Puerto Rico.
Barceló was born in the City of Fajardo, Puerto Rico to Jaime José Barceló Miralles (son of Antonio and Catalina) and Josefa Martínez de León (1842-). His father Jaime had emigrated from Palma, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain to Puerto Rico were he married Josefa (b. Naguabo, Puerto Rico) in Fajardo. He became an orphan by the age of three; his father had died in 1870 and his mother in 1871. He went to live with his aunt, Carmela de Leon, and his grandmother Belen de Leon, both of who raised him. As a youngster, Barceló took an active interest in politics.
He studied in the "Concillier Seminary" of San Juan where he earned a law degree. He joined the "Autonomist Party" (founded by José de Diego and Román Baldorioty de Castro in 1887) and soon became the party's Secretary. In 1897, he was appointed as a municipal judge of Fajardo. The United States allowed him to retain the position after its invasion during the Spanish–American War. On February 4, 1899, Barceló married Maria Georgina "Josefina" Bird Arias, a daughter of the sugar baron Jorge Bird León.
Barceló left the Party and together with Luis Muñoz Rivera, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, Eduardo Georgetti and José de Diego founded the "Union party". The party, which believed in Puerto Rican independence, was led by Muñoz Rivera as president, with Barceló as the Secretary General. The party won the election in 1904 and Muñoz Rivera was selected as a member of the House of Delegates, while Barceló was elected to the Chamber of Delegates in 1905.
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