Jump to content

First government of Luis Muñoz Marín

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First Government of Luis Muñoz Marín

1st Elected and Constitutional Government of Puerto Rico
1949-1953
Governor Muñoz Marín.
Date formed2 January 1949
Date dissolved2 January 1953
People and organisations
President of the United States of AmericaHarry S. Truman
GovernorLuis Muñoz Marín
Attorney General (until 1952)
Secretary of State (1952-present)
Vicente Geigel Polanco[a]

Roberto Sánchez Vilella (from 1952)
Total no. of members7 Secretaries[b]
7 Cabinet Members [b]
Member party  PPD
  Ind.
Status in legislatureSupermajority in both chambers
Senate
17 / 18 (94%)

House of Representatives
38 / 39 (97%)
Opposition parties  PEP-PRP-PS Coalition
  PIP (extra-parliamentary)
Opposition leadersMartín Travieso (leader of the Coalition) Gilberto Concepción de Gracia (PIP)
History
Election1948 Puerto Rican general election
Outgoing election1952 Puerto Rican general election
Legislature term1st Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
Budgets1949 Puerto Rico Budget
1950 Puerto Rico Budget
1951 Puerto Rico Budget
1952 Puerto Rico Budget
Advice and consentSenate of Puerto Rico
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico [c]
Incoming formationElective Governor Act of 1947 and 1948 Puerto Rican general election
PredecessorGovernment of Jesús Piñero Jiménez
SuccessorSecond government of Luis Muñoz Marín

The government of Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Marín was that of the first elected governor.[2] In addition to that, it was the first whose cabinet did not receive the advice and consent of the United States Senate, but from the Puerto Rico Senate. This all came as part of the 1947 Puerto Rico Elective Governor Act.[3] During this government, the Puerto Rican people addressed via Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950's mechanism the creation of their own constitution, which was ratified and enacted in the latter months of the Muñoz Marín government, which reconfigured the system of government by creating the Puerto Rico Council of Secretaries and enlarged the Legislative Assembly's chambers. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was established, and the 1952 Commonwealth Constitution is, with some amendments, the current constitution of the archipelago.

Party breakdown

[edit]

Party breakdown of cabinet members, not including the governor:

4
2

The cabinet was composed of members of the PPD and two independents or technical positions (or people whose membership in a party was not clearly ascertained from any available media).

After the Constitution got adopted in July 1952, this balance changed to:

5
2

Members of the Initial Cabinet

[edit]

The Puerto Rican Cabinet was led by the Governor alone in this period. The Cabinet was composed of all the heads of the executive departments of the insular government. A feature of this government is a reshuffle and recomposition of the Cabinet with the introduction of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in July 1952. This involved changing names of offices, and a transition to the fully constitutional government of the Commonwealth.

Office Name Party Term

Governor

[edit]
Governor of Puerto Rico
Gobernación de Puerto Rico
Luis Muñoz Marín Popular Democratic Party 2 January 1949 – 2 January 1965

Secretaries and Commissioners

[edit]
Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce
Secretaría de Agricultura y Comercio
Ramón Colón Torres Popular Democratic Party 2 January 1949 - 24 July 1952
Attorney General
Procuradoría General
Vicente Geigel Polanco[4] Popular Democratic Party 2 January 1949 - 1 February 1951
Víctor Gutiérrez Franqui[4] Popular Democratic Party 7 February 1951 - 24 July 1952
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretaría de Hacienda
Sol Luis Descartes Andreu[5] Popular Democratic Party 2 January 1949 - 24 July 1952
Commissioner of Public Instruction
Comisaría de Instrucción Pública
Mariano Villaronga Toro Ind. 2 January 1949 - 24 July 1952
Commissioner of Health
Comisaría de Salud
Juan A. Pons[6] Ind. 1946 - 24 July 1952
Commissioner of Labor
Comisaría del Trabajo
Fernando Sierra Berdecía[7] Popular Democratic Party 1947 - 24 July 1952

Constitutional Cabinet

[edit]

The new cabinet is a continuation of the old, although positions were changed, split, or reshuffled with the new constitutional order.

Office Name Party Term

Governor

[edit]
Governor of Puerto Rico
Gobernación de Puerto Rico
Luis Muñoz Marín Popular Democratic Party 24 July 1952 – 2 January 1965
Secretary of State
Secretaría de Estado
Roberto Sánchez Vilella Popular Democratic Party 25 July 1952 - 2 January 1965
Secretary of Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Works
Secretaría de Agricultura y Comercio y Obras Públicas
Ramón Colón Torres Popular Democratic Party 25 July 1952 - 1956
Secretary of Justice
Secretaría de Justicia
Víctor Gutiérrez Franqui[4] Popular Democratic Party 25 July 1952 - 31 October 1952
Vacant Vacant 31 October 1952 - 7 January 1952
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretaría de Hacienda
Sol Luis Descartes Andreu[5] Popular Democratic Party 25 July 1952 - 24 July 1955
Secretary of Public Instruction
Secretaría de Instrucción Pública
Mariano Villaronga Toro Ind. 25 July 1952 - 2 January 1957
Secretary of Health
Secretaría de Salud
Juan A. Pons[6] Ind. 25 July 1952 - 1956(?)
Secretary of Labor
Secretaría del Trabajo
Fernando Sierra Berdecía[8][9] Popular Democratic Party 25 July 1952 - 1962

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Under the Jones-Shaffroth Act as amended, the successor to the governor in this case was the Attorney General as stated in Article 24.[1]
  2. ^ a b Does not include the Governor.
  3. ^ The House provides advice and consent for the Secretary of State, as he is first in line in the Puerto Rico governor' order of succession as established in Article IV, Section 5 of the Constitution of Puerto Rico (1952)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Acta Jones, Carta Orgánica de 1917 de Puerto Rico en LexJuris.com". www.lexjuris.com. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  2. ^ "La Primera Elección en Puerto Rico". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  3. ^ "AN ACT To amend the Organic Act of Puerto Rico" (PDF). United States Congress. 5 August 1947. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Secretarios del Departamento de Justicia de Puerto Rico". Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Trasfondo Histórico y Secretarios del Departamento de Hacienda | Departamento de Hacienda de Puerto Rico". hacienda.pr.gov.
  6. ^ a b "Dr. Juan A. Pons: Secretario de Salud". Revista Galenus (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  7. ^ Ramos, Mario. "Los desterrados". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish).
  8. ^ "Sierra Berdecía v. Llamas, 73 P.R. Dec. 908 (1952)". cite.case.law. Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Sierra Berdecía v. Pedro A. Pizá, Inc., 82 P.R. 294 (1961)". cite.case.law. Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.
Preceded by Government of Puerto Rico
1949–1953
Succeeded by