List of Puerto Ricans - Politicians

Politicians

19th century

• Román Baldorioty de Castro
  "The Father of Puerto Rico's Autonomy".
• Dr. José Celso Barbosa
  "The Father of Puerto Rico's Statehood Movement"
• Eugenio María de Hostos a.k.a. "El Ciudadano de las Américas" (The Citizen of the Americas)
  educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, and independence advocate.
• José M. Dávila Monsanto, Senator, politician and lawyer
  Dávila Monsanto was a co-founder of the "Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico".
• José de Diego "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement"
  De Diego was then elected to the House of Delegates, the only locally elected body of government allowed by the U.S., and which De Diego presided from 1904 to 1917
• Federico Degetau
  The first resident commissioner to the United States.
• José María Marxuach Echavarría (1848–1910)
  Marxuach Echavarría was the only Puerto Rican to serve as the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico under both Spanish and American rule. He served in 1897 for the Liberal Reformista Party and again from 1900–1901 for the Puerto Rican Republican Party.
• Antonio Mattei Lluberas (1857–1908)
  Leader of the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico in what is known as the Intentona de Yauco of 1897. Mattei Lluberas served as Mayor of Yauco from 1904 to 1906
• Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
  Matienzo Cintrón was a political leader who in his early political career favored Puerto Rican statehood and later became an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence and founder of the Independence Party of Puerto Rico.
• Luis Muñoz Rivera
  former Resident Commissioner, journalist, politician (father of Luis Muñoz Marín).
• Ramón Power y Giralt
  First Vice President of the Cortes de Cádiz (1810–1813)
• Francisco Mariano Quiñones
  The first president of Puerto Rico's Autonomic Cabinet.
• Francisco Ramírez Medina
  President of the Republic of Puerto Rico (23 September 1868), during the Grito de Lares revolt.
• Segundo Ruiz Belvis
  Leader of the Grito de Lares revolt.
• Manuel Zeno Gandía
  Puerto Rico patriot and leader of cooperative movement in Puerto Rico.

20th century

• Héctor Luis Acevedo
  Former Mayor of San Juan, 1996 PDP gubernatorial candidate.
• Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
  President and principal leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
• José S. Alegría
  Poet, writer, lawyer and politician. Alegría was a founding member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and president of the political organization from 1928 to 1930.
• Santos P. Amadeo
  The "Champion of Hábeas Corpus" and former Senator in the Puerto Rico legislature.
• María Luisa Arcelay
  First woman in Puerto Rico and in all of Latin America to be elected to a government legislative body.
• Carmen E. Arroyo
  First Puerto Rican woman elected to any state assembly, chair New York Hispanic Legislative Caucus.
• Herman Badillo
  First Puerto Rican to serve in U.S. Congress.
• Joaquín Balaguer
  Former president of Dominican Republic (Puerto Rican father).
• Antonio R. Barceló
  Founder of the Puerto Rican Liberal Party, first president of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
• Ángel O. Berrios
  Former Mayor of Caguas.
• Rubén Berríos
  President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP).
• Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances
  "The Father of the Puerto Rican Nation", main leader of the Grito de Lares revolution.
• Juan Bosch
  Former president of Dominican Republic (Puerto Rican mother).
• Adolfo Carrión, Jr.
  Former Bronx (New York City) borough president
• Adam Clayton Powell IV
  former member of the New York State Assembly.
• Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia
  Founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party.
• Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
  The first President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
• José Coll y Cuchi
  Founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
• Maria Colón Sánchez
  Colón Sánchez was an activist and politician who in 1988, became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly.
• Rafael Cordero
  Former Mayor of Ponce.
• Miguel del Valle
  Former Illinois State Senator, Present (and first Latino) City Clerk of Chicago, and mayoral candidate for the 2011 Chicago mayoral election.
• Nelson Antonio Denis
  Former New York State Assemblyman
• Rubén Díaz
  New York State Senator and religious leader
• Pedro Espada, Jr.
  New York State Senator
• Dr. Antonio Fernós-Isern
  First Puerto Rican cardiologist and Resident Commissioner.
• Dr. Leopoldo Figueroa
  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.
• Maurice Ferre
  Former Mayor of Miami, Florida.
• Fernando Ferrer
  Former Bronx (New York City) borough president and New York City mayoral candidate.
• Rogelio Figueroa
  2008 gubernatorial candidate and founder of Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPR).
• Bonnie García
  former California State Assemblywoman.
• Robert García
  Former New York State Assemblyman, State Senator and U.S. Representative.
• Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr.
  Former New York State Assemblyman, in 1937 he became the first Puerto Rican to be elected to public office in the continental United States and in 1956, he also became the first Puerto Rican to be nominated as the Republican candidate for Justice of the City Court.
• Lcdo. Miguel A. García Méndez
  Youngest Speaker of the House in Puerto Rico's history. The Mayagüez General Post Office was named after him.
• Luis Gutiérrez
  Illinois Congressman.
• Santiago Iglesias
  Founder of the first Puerto Rico Socialist Party, labor activist and former Resident Commissioner.
• Margarita López
  Former New York City Council member/activist.
• Juan Francisco Luis
  Was the 24th governor of the United States Virgin Islands, serving from 1978 to 1987.
• Martin Malave Dilan
  New York State Senator
• Evelyn Mantilla
  Connecticut House of Representatives.
• Juan Marí Bras
  Founder of the Movimiento Pro Independencia and the modern Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
• Olga A. Méndez
  First Puerto Rican New York State Senator.
• Rosie Méndez
  New York City councilwoman/activist.
• Teodoro Moscoso
  Architect of Operation Bootstrap, former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela (1961–1964).
• Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
  1992 PDP candidate for governor (daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín).
• Luis Muñoz Rivera
  Senator, last surviving drafter of Puerto Rico Constitution.
• Félix Ortiz
  New York State Assemblyman, author of nation's first cellphone driving ban.
• George Pabey
  Mayor of East Chicago, Indiana.
• Hernán Padilla
  Former Mayor of San Juan, founder Puerto Rican Renewal Party.
• Antonio Pagán
  Former New York City Council member
• Eddie Perez
  former Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.
• Adam Clayton Powell IV
  New York State Assemblyman, son of former congressman.
• Samuel R. Quiñones
  "Longest serving President of the Senate of Puerto Rico"
• Ernesto Ramos Antonini
  Former Speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives.
• Charles Rangel
  United States Congressman (Puerto Rican father).
• Roberto Rexach Benítez
  Former Senate President, educator, current columnist for El Vocero newspaper.
• Felisa Rincón de Gautier
  First woman to be elected Mayor of an American capital city.
• Ramón Luis Rivera
  Mayor of Bayamón 1977–2001.
• Samuel Rivera
  Mayor of Passaic, New Jersey.
• María de Lourdes Santiago
  Only female Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP) member to be elected to the Puerto Rican Senate.
• Manuela Santiago Collazo
  Mayor of Vieques (1985–2000).
• Jorge Santini
  Current three-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Vice President of the New Progressive Party, former senator.
• José E. Serrano
  Most senior Puerto Rican congressman, Chair of House Appropriations subcommittee on Financial Services.
• Gloria Tristani
  First Hispanic woman appointed as one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
• Nydia Velázquez
  First Puerto Rican congresswoman, Chair of House Small Business Committee.
• Raúl G. Villaronga
  First Puerto Rican to be elected mayor in Texas. Mayor of Killeen, Texas.

21st century

• Richard Carmona
  17th Surgeon General of the United States, physician
• Ruth Noemí Colón
  66th Secretary of State for the State of New York
• Pedro Cortés
  Pennsylvania's former Secretary of the Commonwealth, Past President of National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).
• Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
  Former Secretary of State for the State of New York
• Ruben Diaz, Jr.
  Former New York State Assemblyman and Bronx Borough President (2009–present).
• Wilda Diaz
  First female mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey and first Puerto Rican woman elected mayor in that state.
• Jennifer González
  Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
• Raúl Labrador
  Congressman representing Idaho's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Kenneth McClintock
  Thrteenth President of the Puerto Rico Senate, and current Secretary of State/Lieutenant Governor of Puerto Rico.
• Hiram Monserrate
  former New York State Senator
• Antonia Novello
  14th Surgeon General of the U.S., Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
• Cesar A. Perales
  67th Secretary of State for the State of New York
• Pedro Pierluisi
  Former PR Attorney General, Resident Commissioner, 2008–present.
• Roberto Prats
  Co-chair of winning Hillary Clinton primary campaign, Democratic State Chair and former senator and PDP congressional candidate.
• John Quiñones
  First Republican Party candidate of Puerto Rican ancestry elected to Florida House of Representatives.
• Thomas Rivera Schatz
  Fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
• Melinda Romero Donnelly
  Three-term at-large legislator, two terms in House, recently elected to Senate.
• Pedro Segarra
  Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.
• Darren Soto
  Only Puerto Rican Representative in Florida House of Representatives