José Gualberto Padilla
| José Gualberto Padilla | |
|---|---|
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| Born | July 12, 1829 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Died | May 26, 1896 Vega Baja, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | poet, physician, journalist, politician and Puerto Rico independence movement leader |
| Children | Ana Maria, Trina Padilla de Sanz (La Hija del Caribe), José Luis y Amparo |
Dr. José Gualberto Padilla (July 12, 1829 – May 26, 1896), also known as El Caribe, was a physician, poet, journalist, politician, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence. He suffered imprisonment and constant persecution by the Spanish Crown in Puerto Rico because his patriotic verses, social criticism and political ideals were considered a threat to Spanish Colonial rule of the island.
Padilla was born in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico to José María Padilla Córdova and Trinidad Alfonso Ramírez. The family moved to the town of Añasco, where Padilla's father practiced law. There he received his primary education, and continued his secondary education in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
While studying in Spain, Padilla and a group of Puerto Ricans founded the newspaper La Esperanza, which criticized the political and social abuses in Puerto Rico by the Spanish colonial government. In 1845 he moved to Barcelona, Spain where he earned his medical degree. There he wrote for various local newspapers and published a satiric political poem titled Zoopoligrafía.
Padilla, together with Román Baldorioty de Castro, founded the Puerto Rican chapter of the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País (Economic Society of Friends of Puerto Rico). This group was founded by the Spanish intelligentsia, with chapters in various cities throughout the "Enlightenment Spain" and, to a lesser degree, in some of her colonies.
In 1857, Padilla returned to Puerto Rico and settled in the town of Vega Baja. There he purchased an hacienda, a sugar plantation called Hacienda La Monserrate. The hacienda generated enough income, which permitted him to establish a clinic and practice medicine in the town. If a patient was poor or indigent, Padilla treated them free of charge. He also served two terms as Mayor of the town of Vega Baja. Padilla eventually abolished slavery in his hacienda.
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