Cayetano Coll y Toste

Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste
Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste
Born	November 30, 1850 Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Died	November 19, 1930 Madrid, Spain
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Occupation	Historian and author
Spouse(s)	Adela Cuchí
Children	José Coll y Cuchí and Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
Notes
Coll y Toste was the father of José Coll y Cuchí, the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and Cayetano Coll y Cuchí, who was a President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste (November 30, 1850 – November 19, 1930), was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriarch of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.

Coll y Toste was born in the City of Arecibo, Puerto Rico where he received his primary and secondary education. In 1863, he entered the Jesuits' Seminary College in San Juan from where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1868. In 1872, Coll y Toste went to Barcelona, Spain and enrolled in the "School of Medicine" of the University of Barcelona. From here he graduated as a "Doctor in Medicine and Surgery" in 1872. During his stay in Spain, he was able to study historical documents relating to Puerto Rico which he later found to be useful to him.

In 1874, Coll y Toste returned to the island where he set up his own medical practice in Arecibo. In 1891, he was named director of the Catholic Hospital of Arecibo. In his free time, he developed both a love of and an interest in literature. Not only did he become interested in investigating the history of Puerto Rico, but, he also took an active interest in the island's politics and was the founder and director of a publication called "El Ramillete". He also collaborated with the "Revista Puertorriqueña" (Puerto Rican Review), "La Semana Politica" (Political Weekly) and "Plumas Amigas" (Pen Pals).

In 1897, a year before the Spanish–American War, Coll y Toste was Sub-Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce and was named Regional Governor of Northern Puerto Rico by the Spanish Crown. After the war, Coll y Toste was named Civil Secretary and in 1900 Commissioner of the Interior by General Davis the military governor appointed by the United States. He held the position of Secretary of the Government and he also became a delegate to Puerto Rico's House of Representatives. In 1913 Coll y Toste was named Official Historian of Puerto Rico, preceded by Salvador Brau. Among Coll y Toste's other civil positions were the Presidency of the Puerto Rican Historical Academy and of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño.

Among his many written works are:

His research into the history of Puerto Rico gave people an insight into the island from the time of the Taínos up until 1927. One of his works, The Indo-Antillean Vocabulary, is valuable in understanding the way of life of the Taínos. His works are required reading in Puerto Rican high schools and universities.