María de Lourdes Santiago

María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician from Adjuntas. She is the current vice-president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and in 2004 became the first woman from that party to be elected into the Senate in the history of Puerto Rico.[1] She currently serves as Senator at-large at the Puerto Rico Senate after being elected in 2020 with the most votes of any candidate.[2]

María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón
Santiago in 2021
Vice President of Puerto Rican Independence Party
Assumed office
2001
Member of Puerto Rican Senate
from at-large district
Assumed office
January 2, 2021
In office
January 2, 2013 – January 2, 2017
In office
January 2, 2005 – January 1, 2009
Personal details
Born (1968-11-13) November 13, 1968
Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Political partyPIP
ChildrenJose Julián
Alma materUniversity of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (B.A. in Drama; J.D.)
Occupation
WebsiteWebsite

Biographical facts

Santiago Negrón was born in Adjuntas[3] on November 13, 1968,[4] to Ernesto Santiago and Haydée Negrón.[5] After graduating from high school in Adjuntas in 1986, she earned a bachelor's degree in theatre and a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras.[4]

Career

From 1997 to 2000, she worked as a legal counsel for Victor García San Inocencio while he served in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, and for Manuel Rodríguez Orellana and Fernando Martín García while they served as Senators.[3]

In January 2001, she was elected as vice-president of her political party, and in 2003 announced her candidacy as Senator for the Puerto Rico General Elections of 2004. On November 2, 2004, Santiago was elected, becoming the first woman to represent the Puerto Rican Independence Party in Puerto Rico's Senate.[3]

As a senator, Santiago has been involved in women's, mental health and special education issues, among others.[5]

Santiago is the writer of a column that is published in the El Vocero newspaper. She was arrested during the Navy-Vieques protests for illegally trespassing military facilities to protest the United States military's bombing practice in Vieques. She spent one month in jail as part of her sentence.[5]

Personal life

Santiago Negrón has one son.[5]

References
  1. "Con la honradez como agenda". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). August 5, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  2. "María de Lourdes Santiago está "sorprendida y agradecida" tras amplia elección al Senado por acumulación". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 4 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-01. Archived.
  3. Hon. María de Lourdes Santiago. Senate of Puerto Rico. Accessed February 13, 2018.
  4. Perfil de María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón, Senador(a). ENData Legislativo. El Nuevo Dia. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Accessed February 13, 2018.
  5. María de Lourdes Santiago. Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño. September 19, 2010. Accessed February 13, 2018.
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