Segundo Ruiz Belvis

Segundo Ruiz Belvis
Born	May 13, 1829 Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
Died	November 3, 1867 Valparaíso, Chile
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Occupation	lawyer, abolitionist
Notes
Ruiz Belvis helped plan an armed expedition to Puerto Rico in what was to become known as the "Grito de Lares".

Segundo Ruiz Belvis (May 13, 1829 – November 3, 1867) was an abolitionist who also fought for Puerto Rico's right to independence.

Ruiz Belvis was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico (then a barrio of the municipality of Mayagüez) to José Antonio Ruiz and Manuela Belvis. He received his primary education in Aguadilla. Ruiz Belvis went to Venezuela and graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Caracas. He later earned a law degree from the Central University of Madrid in Spain. During his stay in Spain, he befriended people with both liberal and reformist ideals who proposed the abolition of slavery.

In 1859, Ruiz Belvis returned to Puerto Rico and befriended Ramón Emeterio Betances, joining "The Secret Abolitionist Society" founded by Betances. The society baptized and emancipated thousands of black slave children. The event, which was known as "aguas de libertad" (waters of liberty), was carried out at the Cathedral of Mayagüez. Later, he moved to the city of Mayagüez where he established his law practice. Ruiz Belvis was named Justice of the Peace by the city's citizens. He was later appointed to the Mayagüez city council as a representative. His responsibilities included watching over the well being of the slaves in his district and the management of public funds. Ruiz Belvis became involved in politics and took up the cause of abolitionism in the island.

When Ruiz Belvis returned to Madrid in 1865, he represented the abolitionist cause to the Cortes Generales. Although his ideas were considered dangerous by the Spanish rulers for their threat to the existing order, he helped begin the movement that would eventually lead to the liberation of the slaves in the remaining Spanish Colonies in Latin America. In 1866 after his father's death, Ruiz Belvis inherited his family's hacienda Josefa after his father's death; the first thing he did was free the slaves.