Luis Gautier

Luis Gautier y Quesada[3] (ca. 1850 – ca. 1920) was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 8 December 1897 to 20 June 1898.[lower-alpha 2] He was the first of two mayors to lead the municipality of Ponce under the Spanish Crown's "Decreto Autonómico para Puerto Rico", whereby Puerto Rico was granted autonomy by Spain.[4]

Luis Gautier
100th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico
In office
8 December 1897[1] – 20 June 1898[lower-alpha 1]
Preceded byMiguel Rosich y Más
Succeeded byUlpiano Colóm
Personal details
ProfessionPolitician[2]

Background

Gautier Quesada's participation in the Ponce political landscape had a long trajectory. He had been one of the signers of the 14 November 1886 Plan de Ponce.[5] In 1887, he was one of 10 delegates from Ponce to the Island-wide political assembly held at Teatro La Perla, and which resulted in the founding of the Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño.[6] He had also been a long-time member of the Ponce Municipal Council, and immediately prior to becoming mayor, he also held the post of Teniente de Alcalde, the equivalent of a deputy mayor.[7]

Mayoral term

Puerto Rico had received from Spain a Charter of Autonomy on 25 November 1897, just 2 weeks before Gautier Quesada took office. Gautier Quesada became mayor of Ponce after the then-mayor of Ponce, Miguel Rosich y Más, resigned upon Puerto Rico receiving the Charter of Autonomy. Rosich Más resigned upon Puerto Rico receiving its Charter of Autonomy.[8] As deputy mayor, Gautier Quesada automatically became mayor on an interim basis.[9]

Gautier was the sitting mayor of Ponce when Spain declared war on the United States, and municipal government cash flow immediately became a concern. One direct result of the war was that the salaries of all municipal employees were slashed. Also, while the war carried on, Gautier Quesada also made sure there was enough of a supply of groceries and other basic necessities in the stores to help feed the residents of Ponce. Under the threat of an American incursion into Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico had been in a state of war since 27 March 1898), Gautier Quesada also dealt with the depletion of the existing reserves of coal for lighting the city streets. As the municipality had a business contract with the owners of the gasometro, the municipality moved to appropriate the holdings of the gasometro when the company failed to keep the terms of the contract, which included the Company would keep 200 tons of coal in reserves - but it had none. So the municipal government took over the company and provided the city lighting during the breakdown—albeit petroleum, not coal—was used.[10] He was mayor until 20 June 1898, when Ulpiano Colom took over as mayor.[11][lower-alpha 3]

See also

Notes
  1. Socorro Girón states he was mayor until 9 December 1899 (see Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina, p. 400.), which appears to be a typographical error.
  2. Socorro Girón states he was mayor until 9 December 1899 (See "Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina," p. 400.), which appears to be a typo because it would imply he was mayor before, during, and after the U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico, which was not the case.
  3. Socorro Girón states he was mayor until 9 December 1899. See "Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina," p.400.

References
  1. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. p. 78. LCCN 85-207338
  2. Socorro Girón. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina. p.400.
  3. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. p. 78. LCCN 85-207338
  4. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. p. 77. LCCN 85-207338
  5. Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. Ramon Marin. Socorro Girón, Ed. San Juan Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994. p.26. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. Mariano Vidal Castro. Ponce, Notas para su Historia. Second edition. 1986. p. 77.
  7. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. p. 78. LCCN 85-207338
  8. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. p. 75. LCCN 85-207338
  9. Socorro Girón. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina, p. 400.
  10. Félix Pubill. La Administración Municipal de Ponce: Memoria de las gestiones practicadas en la Administración Municipal de Ponce, por los Alcaldes y Ayuntamientos que ha tenido desde el año 1882 al 1900. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Tipografía José Picó Matos. 1900. pp. 80-81 LCCN 85-207338
  11. Alcaldes de Ponce. Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 29 December 2011.

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. 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)


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