Roberto Sánchez Vilella
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Roberto Sánchez Vilella | |
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City Manager of the city of San Juan | |
In office 2 January 1945 – 2 January 1946 | |
Preceded by | Gonzalo Diago |
Succeeded by | Felisa Rincón de Gautier |
Personal details | |
Born | Mayagüez, Insular Government of Porto Rico | 19 February 1913
Died | 24 March 1997 San Juan, Puerto Rico | (aged 84)
Resting place | Román Baldorioty de Castro National Pantheon in Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Political party |
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Other political affiliations | Democratic |
Spouses |
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Children | Roberto |
Education | Ohio State University (BEng) |
Roberto Sánchez Vilella (19 February 1913 – 24 March 1997) was the
Early years and education
Sánchez Vilella was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico,[2] to Luis Sánchez Frasqueri and Angela Vilella Vélez and his family moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico when he was five years old.[3] In Ponce he attended elementary and secondary schools, including the Ponce High School.[4][5] After graduation, he attended Ohio State University where he graduated with a bachelor degree in civil engineering in 1934. As an engineer, in 1941 he was president of the Ponce chapter of the Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, the professional organization covering all engineers and land surveyors in Puerto Rico.[6] He then was a professor for a short time at the University of Puerto Rico.
Governor
After a long and distinguished career as city manager of the city of San Juan, Secretary of Public Works and as the first Secretary of State, Sánchez Vilella was handpicked by Governor Luis Muñoz Marín to run as the PPD's candidate for governor in 1964. Sánchez won the election by a comfortable margin, becoming the second democratically elected governor of the island.
During his tenure, Sánchez Vilella tried to change his party's membership, urging a younger generation to rise in the friends party's organization. It could be argued that Sánchez Vilella was influenced by the youth movement that the island was experiencing countrywide during the 1960s, a period where many social areas in Puerto Rico, including television, music and sports, were being introduced to fresh, younger personalities.
Sánchez Vilella had public marital problems during his term. In March 1967, his
His goals of revitalization and change led to a public break with former governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, who was still party leader. Because of this, the PPD nominated
In 1972, Sánchez Vilella made his third and last run for elective office when he obtained 59,000 votes in his bid to become a representative-at-large, but lost when the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico certified the election of Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) candidate Luis Ángel Torres, who polled fewer than 150 votes, based on its interpretation of the Puerto Rico Constitution's rules regarding the election of at-large legislative candidates.[9]
Retirement and legacy
After leaving La Fortaleza and his unsuccessful House bid in 1972, Sánchez Vilella lived a relatively quiet life, serving as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Administration and its law school,[10] and as a radio commentator. The Puerto Rican sculptor Tomás Batista created a bust in his honor, and it is located in the city of Ponce, at the Parque del Tricentenario.[11]
He died on 24 March 1997 and was buried at the Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro in Ponce, Puerto Rico[12][13] which he had claimed as his adoptive city.[14]
The legacy of Sánchez Vilella, who was initially judged rather harshly by historians, has been perceived in a better light recently. His term was overshadowed by the legacy of Muñoz, his predecessor, and the PDP's loss in the 1968 elections is still blamed on him. However, he is perceived by many political commentators to have led the most efficient public administration of all Puerto Rican-born governors, and many long for Sánchez Vilella's frankness and political integrity in light of the deteriorating political climate that has developed after he left office. As the perception of his legacy improves, he is now being honored more frequently. The Government's largest building complex at Minillas, in Santurce, was named after him, and a bust of Sánchez Vilella was placed in the Governor's Hall of the Puerto Rico capitol building in 2007.
Sánchez Vilella had two daughters, Evelyn and Vilma, from his marriage to First Lady Concepción "Conchita" Dapena. He also had two children, Olga Elizabeth and Roberto José, from his marriage to Jeannette Ramos.
Honors
In 1997, Governor Pedro Rosselló signed into law a bill introduced by then senator Kenneth McClintock converting a major highway built by Sánchez Vilella between Ponce and Mayagüez into the "Roberto Sánchez Vilella Expressway", honoring not only his service as Governor but as Secretary of Public Works.
A new
The University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Administration, where he served as a professor, bears his name.
References
- ^ EPRL, Grupo Editorial (10 June 2016). "Sánchez Vilella, Roberto - Government". EnciclopediaPR. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ Roberto Sanchez Vilella. National Governors Association. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ The International Who's Who 2004 By Europa Publications
- ^ Ponce High School celebra por todo lo alto su centenario. Alex David. Primera Hora. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ Ponce High School celebra por todo lo alto su centenario. Alex David. Primera Hora. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ 1941 Ing. Roberto Sánchez Vilella. Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, Capítulo de Ponce. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Milestones: Oct. 13, 1967". Time. 13 October 1967. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Mcg. Thomas Jr., Robert (26 March 1997). "Roberto Sanchez Vilella, 84, Puerto Rican Governor, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-932271-04-1. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-8477-0208-4. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Camina por Ponce. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ Ponce Overview: Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty De Castro. Archived 4 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine Ponce Travel Guide. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ The Rough Guide to Puerto Rico. Stephen Keeling. Page 288. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ Ponce History Museum. Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. Retrieved 29 December 2011.