José de Guzmán Benítez

José de Guzmán Benítez (1857[3] – 28 October 1923[4]) was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 28 February 1901 until 1902.[5] José de Guzmán Benítez is best known for the launching of his 1899 manifesto to the people of Puerto Rico for the creation of a pro-American political party.[6]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de Guzmán and the second or maternal family name is Benítez.

José de Guzmán Benítez
José de Guzmán Benítez
106th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
In office
28 February 1901 – 1902
Preceded byPedro Juan Rosaly
Succeeded byEnrique Chevalier
Personal details
Born1857
Ponce, Puerto Rico[1][lower-alpha 1]
Died28 October 1923
San Juan, Puerto Rico
SpouseCarmen Soto Rodriguez
ChildrenJose Ignacio (1884–1941)
ProfessionAttorney[2]

Early years

Guzmán Benítez was born in 1857 to Manuel De Guzman and Modesta Benitez. He married Carmen Soto Rodriguez, from Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, with whom he had a son named Jose Ignacio (1884–1941).[7]

Mayoral term
Fans carry Mayor De Guzmán Benítez upon his winning the 1900 elections

Guzmán Benítez, along with his chief of police Rodulfo Figueroa were regarded by the Federal Party as "highly controversial" figures due to their association with members of Ponce's lower class. The Republican side of Ponce's Municipal Assembly, meanwhile, demanded Guzmán Benítez's resignation but a crowd of Ponce residents, numbering some two thousand, took over the halls of the Assembly building, coming to Guzmán Benítez's defense.[8]

A caricature was made of De Guzmán Benítez of his 1900 election win that is well preserved.[9] The 1900 election was significant in that it was the first election since the United States invaded the Island in 1898.

With the arrival of the Americans in Puerto Rico in 1898, De Guzmán Benítez proposed the creation of a pro-American political party. The proposal caught the attention of Jose Celso Barbosa, leader of the Partido Ortodoxo de Puerto Rico (Orthodox Party of Puerto Rico).[10] Celso Barbosa held a party assembly in San Juan to which De Guzmán Benítez was invited.[11] The 4 July 1899 assembly resulted in the creation of the Partido Republicano de Puerto Rico (Republican Party of Puerto Rico).[12][13]

Death

De Guzmán Benítez died in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 28 October 1923, as a result of a cardiac arrest, more specifically an asystole.[14] He was 67 years old.

References
  1. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, et al., Brevario sobre la historia de Ponce y sus principales lugares de interés. 1991. Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Secretaría de Arte y Cultura. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. p. 62.
  2. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, et al., Brevario sobre la historia de Ponce y sus principales lugares de interés. 1991. Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Secretaria de Arte y Cultura. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. p. 62.
  3. José De Guzman Benitez in the 1910 United States Federal Census.
  4. Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001. Registro Civil, 1836–2001. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Accessed 6 February 2019.
  5. Socorro Giron. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina. Ponce Municipal Government. 1992. Page 414.
  6. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, et al., Brevario sobre la historia de Ponce y sus principales lugares de interés. 1991. Museo de la Historia de Ponce. Secretaria de Arte y Cultura. Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. p. 62.
  7. Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001. Registro Civil, 1836–2001. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Accessed 6 February 2019.
  8. Ileana M. Rodriguez-Silva. Silencing Race: Disentangling Blackness, Colonialism, and National Identities in Puerto Rico. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2012. p. 177.
  9. Univ. of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras. Biblioteca Digital Puertorriqueña. Caricatura Becqueriana. By Mario Brau de Zuzuárregui. c. 1910. See also http://136.145.174.31/u?/Dibujos,247
  10. Reinaldo E. Gonzalez Blanco. El Turismo Cultural en Ponce durante el Plan Ponce en Marcha, 1900-2000. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, Editor. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Professional Editions. 2018. p.13. ISBN 978-1-64131-139-7
  11. Luis Fortuño Janeiro. Album Histórico de Ponce: Contenido de los más importantes datos históricos y de una exposición gráfica de su cultura y progreso. 1963. pp.16-18.
  12. Luis Fortuño Janeiro. Album Histórico de Ponce: Contenido de los más importantes datos históricos y de una exposición gráfica de su cultura y progreso. 1963. pp.16-18.
  13. Reinaldo E. Gonzalez Blanco. El Turismo Cultural en Ponce durante el Plan Ponce en Marcha , 1900-2000. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, Editor. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Professional Editions. 2018. pp.13-14. ISBN 978-1-64131-139-7
  14. Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001 for José De Guzmán Benitez. Defunciones (Deaths), Santurce, Defunciones 1918-1924. Folio 235. Acta Numero 824. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico. Registro Civil de San Juan. Tomo 1. Julio 1 de 1918 a Marzo 27 del 1919. Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Notes
  1. His Death Certificate ("Acta de Defunción") states his was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico (See Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001 for José De Guzmán Benitez. Defunciones (Deaths), Santurce, Defunciones 1918-1924. Folio 235. Acta Numero 824. Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico. Registro Civil de San Juan. Tomo 1. Julio 1 de 1918 a Marzo 27 del 1919. Santurce, Puerto Rico.)

See also

Further reading
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. pp. 319-320. Item 1603. LCCN 92-75480
  • "Las ultimas elecciones en Puerto Rico: el gobierno americano protegiendo a los ladrones de voto." Puerto Rico Herald. 27 Noviembre 1902. pp. 295-298.
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 109. Item 560. LCCN 92-75480
  • The Representative Men of Puerto Rico. Compiled and edited by F.E. Jackson & Son. C. Frederiksen, artist and photographer. s.l.: F.E. Jackson & Son. 1901. (PUCPR; Universidad Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, UPR).
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 116. Item 589. LCCN 92-75480
  • Felix Bernier Matos. Cromos ponceños. (por Fray Justo) Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta "La Libertad." 1896. (Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Ponce, CUTPO)
  • Fay Fowlie de Flores. Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliografía Anotada. Segunda Edición. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 339. Item 1687. LCCN 92-75480
  • Jose G. del Valle. "A través de diez años (1897-1907): trabajos políticos, económicos, históricos y sociales. Barcelona, España: Establecimiento Tipográfico de Feliú y Susanna. 1907. (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ponce.)


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