Miguel A. García Méndez

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In this
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Miguel Angel García Méndez
Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office
1933–1940
Personal details
Born
Miguel Angel García Méndez

(1902-11-17)November 17, 1902
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
SpouseFredeswinda Ramirez de Arellano Bartoli
ChildrenIleana and Fredewsinda
Alma materUniversity of Puerto Rico School of Law (JD)
Occupationlawyer

Miguel Angel García Méndez (November 17, 1902 – November 17, 1998) was a

Republican Statehood Party.[1]

Studies

García Méndez was born in

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. He commenced his law studies in 1917 at the age of 15 in the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He graduated in 1920 at the age of 19. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico would not license anyone to practice law under the age of 21. He was however, permitted take the bar exam but, was not officially licensed until 1922.[citation needed
]

Early career

His first job after graduating was in the law office of his brothers Juan B. García Méndez (who was a reputable civil practice lawyer) and

San German and Sabana Grande
for a short period of time before opening his own law practice in San German.

Political career

García Méndez was a member of the Puerto Rican Alliance and in the elections of 1928, was elected to the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives by the electoral district 18. By 1932, he was a member of the Republican Union
and was named to the first Territorial Executive Committee of the Republican Union. In the elections of that year he was re-elected to the House of Representatives by the same district. In the following elections he was re-elected to the House. This time as an at-large candidate (statewide).

He became the youngest person to be elected as President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, at the age of 30, starting his first term in 1933. He was reelected for the term from 1937 to 1941.

In 1939, there was a movement to unify the liberal and the labor party members, dissidents of the

Blanton C. Winship. Three years later however, the Industrial Development Co. was created.[2]

In 1940, he ran as candidate of the Unification for

Resident Commissioner
and in 1941 was chosen vice-president of that political collectivity. When this party was dissolved in 1944, he began to organize the Progressive Republican Union Party, which in 1948 became the Puerto Rican Statehood Party and in 1953 the Republican Statehood Party. In 1952, he was chosen president of the party and elected in that year's election as Senator at large, position from which he resigned. He was re-elected for the same position in the elections of 1956, 1960, and 1964.

In 1952 the year in which Constitution of Puerto Rico was adopted, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, García Méndez was a member of the Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico. In 1956, he founded the Partido Estadista Republicano (Republican Statehood Party) and was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention from Puerto Rico in 1964.

As head of the Republican Statehood Party, García Méndez boycotted the

Luis A. Ferré
. This led to the party's dissolution after the 1968 elections when it did not poll the number of votes necessary to retain party registration.

García Méndez was known as "El

Pitirre" because of his skills in political debates and ability to mesmerize crowds[dubious – discuss] while speaking in public.[citation needed
]

Businessman

The following are García Méndez's business endeavors in chronological order:

1920–1932: Director and secretary for the board of directors of "Banco Caja de Economias y Prestamos de San German".

1937–1940: Member of "Junta de Sindicos" of the University of Puerto Rico.

1940: Presided "Asociacion de Productores de Azucar de Puerto Rico".

Founding Partner of the Banker's Club, Puerto Rico.

García Méndez founded the Western Federal Savings and Loan Association of Puerto Rico (now

Westernbank) on March 1, 1958. His grandson Frank C. Stipes
was the last president of its board of directors. The W Holding Company was a financial holding corporation located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. On April 30, 2010, Westernbank, its wholly owned bank subsidiary, failed and its deposits and assets were seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and subsequently sold to Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.

In the 1960s he co-founded with Efrain Kier a construction company called Atlantic Quality Construction; later on Leon Rubin joined them. The same constructed the Beach Tower and Park Plaza in Isla Verde, the Ashford Imperial in Condado among others.

In the 1970s he bought the newspaper El Imparcial. but its headquarters was destroyed in a fire (whose cause has remained unknown) and closed down.[citation needed]

Written works

  • Puerto Rico, Eslabon de las Americas.
  • La Universidad de Puerto Rico como Universidad Panamericana.
  • Cartas al Pueblo.
  • La Solucion al Status Politico Final de Puerto Rico.

Personal life

He married Fredeswinda Ramirez de Arellano Bartoli on June 25, 1926, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He had two daughters, Ileana and Fredewsinda. García Méndez died on November 17, 1998, on his 96th birthday, in Mayagüez.[3]

Honors

After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico in 1920, he received a prize from Princeton University for his thesis on Constitutional Law.

On 1993 the "Asociacion Productos de Puerto Rico" presented him with the prize named "Industrial Emeritus Antonio R. Barcelo" for his long and brilliant career as an industrialist in Puerto Rico.

On November 17, 1999, the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives
declared November 17 the official day of Miguel Ángel García Méndez.

On a bill passed by United States Congress there is United States Post Office building in Mayagüez, his hometown, that bears his name.[4] and there is also an avenue "Avenida Miguel Ángel García Méndez" in his honor.[5]

Among the other honors are "Paseo Miguel Angel García Méndez" in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and a statue of him which was placed in the Capitol Building on February 13, 2006.[6]

Public law #19 (Ley Núm. 19) of June 16, 2005, created the "Miguel Ángel García Méndez Legislative Oratory Prize" (Premio Legislativo à la Oratoria Miguel Ángel García Méndez)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Miguel Garcia Mendez, Ex-Puerto Rico Senator". South Florida Sun Sentinel. November 19, 1998. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association
  3. ^ "Miguel Garcia Mendez, Ex-Puerto Rico Senator". Sun-Sentinel.com.
  4. ^ "Link to Bill". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  5. ^ Link 1 Link 2 Archived 2007-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Link Archived 2006-09-29 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives

1933–1940 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the
Puerto Rico Republican Party

1952–1975 		Succeeded by
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