El Maestro

Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos during his years at Harvard University, 1913-1919
Born	(1891-09-12)September 12, 1891 Ponce, Puerto Rico
Died	April 21, 1965(1965-04-21) (aged 73) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Alma mater	University of Vermont Harvard University
Organization	Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Spouse(s)	Laura Meneses

External audio

You may listen to one of the speeches made in Spanish by Albizu Campos on YouTube

and view a portion of the Albizu Documentary Trailer on YouTube made in English.

Pedro Albizu Campos (September 12, 1891 – April 21, 1965) was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and the leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Gifted in languages, he spoke six; graduating from Harvard Law School with the highest grade point average in his law class, an achievement that earned him the right to give the valedictorian speech at his graduation ceremony. However, animus towards his mixed racial heritage would lead to his professors delaying two of his final exams in order to keep Albizu Campos from graduating on time. During his time at Harvard University he became involved in the Irish struggle for independence.

Albizu Campos was the president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death in 1965. Because of his oratorical skill, he was hailed as El Maestro (The Teacher). He was imprisoned twenty-six years for attempting to overthrow the United States government in Puerto Rico.

In 1950, he planned and called for armed uprisings in several cities in Puerto Rico on his independence. Afterward he was convicted and imprisoned again. He died in 1965 shortly after his pardon and release from federal prison, some time after suffering a stroke. There is controversy over his medical treatment in prison.

He was born in a sector of Barrio Machuelo Abajo in Ponce, Puerto Rico to Juana Campos, a domestic worker of Spanish, African and Taíno ancestry, on 12 September 1891. His father, Alejandro Albizu Romero, known as "El Vizcaíno," was a Basque merchant, from a family of Spanish immigrants who had temporarily resided in Venezuela From an educated family, Albizu was the nephew of the danza composer Juan Morel Campos, and cousin of Puerto Rican educator Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda. The boy's mother died when he was young and his father did not acknowledge him until he was at Harvard University.