José M. Dávila Monsanto
| José M. Dávila Monsanto | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Puerto Rico Senate from the Guayama district |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 2, 1905 Yabucoa, Puerto Rico |
| Died | April 4, 2001 (aged 95) Guayama, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Popular Democratic Party (PPD) |
| Spouse(s) | Inés Lópes Rodríguez |
| Children | Inés María José Manuel Juan Antonio |
| Alma mater | University of Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | Politician, Senator, Lawyer |
| In 1938, he co-founded the "Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico" | |
José M. Dávila Monsanto (November 2, 1905 – April 4, 2001) was a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who in 1938 co-founded the political party Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico (Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico or "PPD"). He served in the Puerto Rican Senate as a representative of the PPD.
Dávila Monsanto was one of eight siblings born to Juan A. Dávila and María Monsanto in the town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. There he received his primary education. He moved to Rio Piedras, where he finished his secondary education at the Normal School of the University of Puerto Rico and after his graduation he was accepted in the university where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Education. He went on to study law and in 1934 earned his Juris Doctor from his Alma Mater. On August 20, 1937, Dávila Monsanto married Inés Lopés Rodríguez on August 20, 1937, and had three children; Inés María, José Manuel and Juan Antonio.
During his student years in the University, Dávila Monsanto became active in politics. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, a pro-independence political party. He was elected Vice-president of the Juventud Liberal de Puerto Rico (the Liberal Youth of Puerto Rico), the youth branch of the PPD, and also served as President of the Rio Piedras chapter of the Juventud Liberal de Rio Piedras (the Liberal Youth of Rio Piedras). In 1935, Dávila Monsanto set up his law practice in Rio Piedras and continued to practice there until 1941, when he moved to the town of Guayama, Puerto Rico.
The Río Piedras massacre of four Puerto Rican Nationalist Party members occurred on October 24, 1935. The Nationalist Party blamed these deaths on Elisha Francis Riggs, a former United States Army Colonel whom, at the time, was the top U.S.-appointed police officer on the entire island. Consequently on February 23, 1936, Colonel Riggs was assassinated by Nationalists Hiram Rosado and Elías Beauchamp. This prompted U.S Senator Millard Tydings to introduce a legislation to grant independence to Puerto Rico. Dávila Monsanto was in favor of the proposal. However Luis Muñoz Marín objected because, in his view, Puerto Rico was incapable of independence without U.S. economic support.
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