Leopoldo Figueroa
| Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras | |
|---|---|
Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico
|
|
| Member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from the 4 Bayamón-Cataño-Guaynabo district |
|
|
In office 1933–1944 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1887 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Died | October 15, 1969 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Political party |
Republican Union New Progressive Party, Republican Party |
| Profession | Politician, journalist, medical doctor and lawyer. |
| Note: Figueroa co-founded the Independence Association, which later merged with two other political organizations to form the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party | |
Dr. Leopoldo Figueroa (September 21, 1887 - October 15, 1969) a.k.a. "The deacon of the Puerto Rican Legislature", was a Puerto Rican politician, journalist, medical doctor and lawyer. Figueroa, who began his political career as an advocate of Puerto Rican Independence, was the co-founder of the "Independence Association", one of three political organizations which merged to form the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Figueroa, had changed political ideals and in 1948, was a member of the Partido Estadista Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Statehood Party). That year, he was the only member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives who did not belong to the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico PPD, who opposed the PPD's approval of the infamous Law 53, also known as "Puerto Rico's Gag Law" and "Ley de La Mordaza", which violated the civil rights of those who favored Puerto Rican Independence. On December 22, 2006, the Puerto Rican Legislature approved a law declaring every September 21, Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras Day.
Figueroa (birth name: Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico when the island was still a Spanish Colony. He became interested in politics at an early age due to the influences of his father who was a personal friend of the Puerto Rican political leader Luis Muñoz Rivera and his uncle Sotero Figueroa, a close friend of Cuban revolutionary leader José Martí.
In 1898, when he was 11 years old, the United States invaded Puerto Rico. Some Puerto Rican leaders such as José de Diego and Eugenio María de Hostos expected the United States to grant the island its independence. However, this did not concur with the Monroe Doctrine, or the geopolitical interests of the United States. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ratified on December 10, 1898, Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States. Spain had lost its last colony in the western hemisphere, and the United States gained imperial strength and global presence.
...
Wikipedia