Carlos Romero Barceló
Encyclopedia
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (born September 4, 1932) is a Puerto Rican
politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party
(PNP) and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful politicians in the island's history.
Romero Barceló is the grandson of Antonio R. Barceló
, a former Union Party leader and advocate of Puerto Rican independence during the early 20th century.
in the state of New Hampshire
, graduating in 1949. Later he attended Yale University
, obtaining a B.A. in Political Science
and Economics in 1953. That same year, at age 20, he returned to Puerto Rico and enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico
Law School, becoming a licensed lawyer in 1956. In 1977, he received a doctorate Honoris causa from the University of Bridgeport
in Connecticut
.
. He formed part of "Ciudadanos pro Estado 51" (Citizens for the 51st State) in 1965. Later, he became involved with the political group "Estadistas Unidos", founded by Luis Ferre.
Barceló was one of the founding members of the New Progressive Party in 1967. The following year he was elected Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
. In 1973, he became the first Hispanic to become vice-president of the National League of Cities
and in 1974 became president. He served as mayor until 1976 when he defeated incumbent Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
.
Romero Barceló is frequently associated with the "Cerro Maravilla Incident"
of 1978 in which two young pro-Independence activists at Cerro Maravilla were killed at the hands of rogue members of the Puerto Rican Police. The tragic incident was investigated several times by the P.R. Justice Department, the U.S. Justice Department and the F.B.I., and was widely reported on by the local press. In the end (and after some reversals), ten officers were indicted and found guilty of perjury, destruction of evidence, and obstruction of justice, of whom four were convicted of second-degree murder during 1984
.
In 1984, Barcelo was defeated in his re-election bid in 1984 by Hernandez-Colon.
In 1980 he was elected for a second term as governor by a margin of 3,037 votes over again PPD
-candidate Rafael Hernández Colón
. The 1980 gubernatorial elections were among the closest in Puerto Rican history, requiring the intervention of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
to rule whether improperly cast ballots should be counted. In particular, the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
under Luis Fortuño
generated over 1,500 absentee ballots for Romero Barceló that proved an important factor in his reelection. However, the New Progressive Party
lost control of the legislature, and party-affiliated mayors won in 28 of the 78 municipalities on the island.The 1980 elections was the most controversial as many PPD followers said that the elections were stolen in which the PPD won the elections except for the governor candidacy in which almost every election the parties wins with the integrated votes.
This election is similar to the 2004 election.
In his second term Puerto Rico was badly hit by a severe recession starting in 1980 and ending in 1983,
The unemployment drastically rose to 25% in 1983 the highest since the Great Depression.
Also his second term is very similar to what happened in the Aníbal Acevedo Vilá administration in which the legislature was controlled by the opposing Party
He sought re-election for a third term in 1984 but was defeated by Rafael Hernández Colón
. After the elections, Barceló's reaction to the defeat, in response to TV news reporter Rafael Bracero, was Que Derrota? (What defeat?). For him, he said, what had occurred was not a defeat, but simply an "electoral loss". The comment has become legendary in Puerto Rican politics.
In 1986, he was elected by his party to fill in a vacancy in the Senate of Puerto Rico
,
a position for which he did not seek reelection in 1988. Instead, he returned to his private law practice and shortly thereafter merged his law firm with Del Toro & Santana
where he practiced until his election to Congress in 1992.
In the 1992 elections, Romero was elected Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
, and relocated to Washington, D.C.. He would later on be reelected in the elections of 1996.
During his tenure as Resident Commissioner he campaigned for Puerto Rican statehood
and endorsed the Young Project, which sought to call a referendum to resolve Puerto Rico's political status. In 2000, he sought a third term but was defeated by PPD
's Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
. He once again sought his party's nomination for the post of Resident Commissioner in 2003, but was defeated by Luis Fortuño
. Although he has retired from electoral politics, he has remained active in PNP
political gatherings and is a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens
(LULAC).
. His daughter, Melinda Romero Donnelly
, was an NPP member of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
for 8 years, later becoming state senator when she won a special election in 2009 for the vacant seat of former Senator Jorge De Castro Font. He is a boxing
fan, and advocated for holding world championship bouts in San Juan during his terms in office.
The federal charges against Puerto Rico's former governor, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
, stem from a tip brought to the federal court by Romero Barcelo. Romero has openly admitted to being the catalyst of the federal investigation against Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. In 2000, Acevedo accused Romero Barcelo of receiving 175,000 dollars of illegal contributions to fund his campaign bid for Resident Commissioner. The witness Acevedo Vila presented to authorities to validate his claims later recanted, but Vila's comments hurt Romero's in the court of public opinion, contributing to his loss that November.
On March 20, 2009, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, along side co-defendant Luisa Inclan Bird, was found not guilty of all charges against them.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
(PNP) and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful politicians in the island's history.
Romero Barceló is the grandson of Antonio R. Barceló
Antonio R. Barceló
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martinez was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families...
, a former Union Party leader and advocate of Puerto Rican independence during the early 20th century.
Education
Carlos Romero Barceló attended Phillips Exeter AcademyPhillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, graduating in 1949. Later he attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, obtaining a B.A. in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Economics in 1953. That same year, at age 20, he returned to Puerto Rico and enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
Law School, becoming a licensed lawyer in 1956. In 1977, he received a doctorate Honoris causa from the University of Bridgeport
University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university located on the Long Island Sound in the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The University is fully Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Political career
Romero Barceló, an avid supporter of Puerto Rico statehood with the United States of America, became involved in with the "Partido Estadista Republicano", the forerunner of the New Progressive Party, which at the time was led by Miguel Angel Garcia MendezMiguel A. García Méndez
Miguel Angel García Méndez was a recognized businessman, lawyer, statesman, and banker in Puerto Rico. He was a lifelong statehood supporter for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...
. He formed part of "Ciudadanos pro Estado 51" (Citizens for the 51st State) in 1965. Later, he became involved with the political group "Estadistas Unidos", founded by Luis Ferre.
Barceló was one of the founding members of the New Progressive Party in 1967. The following year he was elected Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. In 1973, he became the first Hispanic to become vice-president of the National League of Cities
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....
and in 1974 became president. He served as mayor until 1976 when he defeated incumbent Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
.
Romero Barceló is frequently associated with the "Cerro Maravilla Incident"
Cerro Maravilla Incident
The Cerro Maravilla incident, also known as the Cerro Maravilla case or the Cerro Maravilla killings is the name given by the Puerto Rican public and media to describe the events that occurred on July 25, 1978 at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Puerto Rico, wherein two young Puerto...
of 1978 in which two young pro-Independence activists at Cerro Maravilla were killed at the hands of rogue members of the Puerto Rican Police. The tragic incident was investigated several times by the P.R. Justice Department, the U.S. Justice Department and the F.B.I., and was widely reported on by the local press. In the end (and after some reversals), ten officers were indicted and found guilty of perjury, destruction of evidence, and obstruction of justice, of whom four were convicted of second-degree murder during 1984
.
In 1984, Barcelo was defeated in his re-election bid in 1984 by Hernandez-Colon.
Governor
Romero Barceló brought well-received economic resolutions to the island during his terms in office, emphasizing the island's tourism potential. However, during his administration the economy recovered sluggishly, with unemployment dropping to 17% in 1979 from 19.0% in 1975, a disappointing 2% decline. The economy did not fully recover, and the island's government services deteriorated during his term in office. Moreover, his statements declaring the policemen that carried out the Maravilla murders to be heroes hurt his image.In 1980 he was elected for a second term as governor by a margin of 3,037 votes over again PPD
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
-candidate Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
. The 1980 gubernatorial elections were among the closest in Puerto Rican history, requiring the intervention of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch of the Puerto Rican government, it is analogous to one of the...
to rule whether improperly cast ballots should be counted. In particular, the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association, Inc. , based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an American non-profit student organization dedicated to promoting statehood for Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States...
under Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
generated over 1,500 absentee ballots for Romero Barceló that proved an important factor in his reelection. However, the New Progressive Party
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
lost control of the legislature, and party-affiliated mayors won in 28 of the 78 municipalities on the island.The 1980 elections was the most controversial as many PPD followers said that the elections were stolen in which the PPD won the elections except for the governor candidacy in which almost every election the parties wins with the integrated votes.
This election is similar to the 2004 election.
In his second term Puerto Rico was badly hit by a severe recession starting in 1980 and ending in 1983,
The unemployment drastically rose to 25% in 1983 the highest since the Great Depression.
Also his second term is very similar to what happened in the Aníbal Acevedo Vilá administration in which the legislature was controlled by the opposing Party
He sought re-election for a third term in 1984 but was defeated by Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
. After the elections, Barceló's reaction to the defeat, in response to TV news reporter Rafael Bracero, was Que Derrota? (What defeat?). For him, he said, what had occurred was not a defeat, but simply an "electoral loss". The comment has become legendary in Puerto Rican politics.
In 1986, he was elected by his party to fill in a vacancy in the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
,
a position for which he did not seek reelection in 1988. Instead, he returned to his private law practice and shortly thereafter merged his law firm with Del Toro & Santana
Del Toro & Santana
Del Toro & Santana is a litigation-specialized boutique law firm based in San Juan, Puerto Rico serving national and local clients. Primarily dealing in complex litigation and legal counseling, it is listed in Martindale-Hubbell's Directory of Preeminent Lawyers.Del Toro & Santana offers services...
where he practiced until his election to Congress in 1992.
Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
, and relocated to Washington, D.C.. He would later on be reelected in the elections of 1996.
During his tenure as Resident Commissioner he campaigned for Puerto Rican statehood
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
and endorsed the Young Project, which sought to call a referendum to resolve Puerto Rico's political status. In 2000, he sought a third term but was defeated by PPD
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
's Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
. He once again sought his party's nomination for the post of Resident Commissioner in 2003, but was defeated by Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
. Although he has retired from electoral politics, he has remained active in PNP
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
political gatherings and is a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens
League of United Latin American Citizens
The League of United Latin American Citizens was created to combat the discrimination that Hispanics face in the United States. Established February 17, 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC was a consolidation of smaller, like-minded civil rights groups already in existence...
(LULAC).
Legacy
Romero Barceló is married to Kate DonnellyKate Donnelly
Kate Donnelly is the wife of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló, and served as First Lady from 1977 to 1984. Prior to that, she served for eight years as First Lady of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city....
. His daughter, Melinda Romero Donnelly
Melinda Romero Donnelly
Melinda Kathleen Romero Donnelly is a Puerto Rican politician, Senator, and former Representative. She is the youngest daughter of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló and Kate Donnelly.-Early years:...
, was an NPP member of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...
for 8 years, later becoming state senator when she won a special election in 2009 for the vacant seat of former Senator Jorge De Castro Font. He is a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
fan, and advocated for holding world championship bouts in San Juan during his terms in office.
The federal charges against Puerto Rico's former governor, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
, stem from a tip brought to the federal court by Romero Barcelo. Romero has openly admitted to being the catalyst of the federal investigation against Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. In 2000, Acevedo accused Romero Barcelo of receiving 175,000 dollars of illegal contributions to fund his campaign bid for Resident Commissioner. The witness Acevedo Vila presented to authorities to validate his claims later recanted, but Vila's comments hurt Romero's in the court of public opinion, contributing to his loss that November.
On March 20, 2009, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, along side co-defendant Luisa Inclan Bird, was found not guilty of all charges against them.
Publications
- "Puerto Rico, U.S.A.: The Case for Statehood." Foreign Affairs 59 (Fall 1980): pp. 58–81.
- Statehood Is For the Poor. N.P.: Master Typesetting of P.R. Inc., 1978. Originally published as La Estatidad es para los Pobres, 1973.
- The book titled Two Lynchings on Cerro Maravilla: The Police Murders in Puerto Rico and the Federal Government Coverup by then San Juan Star journalist Manuel 'Manny' Suarez.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans – Governors
- Voting rights in Puerto RicoVoting rights in Puerto RicoVoting rights of United States citizens in Puerto Rico, like the voting rights of other United States territories, differ from those of United States citizens in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories do not have voting...