Estadistas Unidos was a non-partisan organization created by don Luis A. Ferré

Luis A. Ferré

Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...

 in January, 1967 after the Statehood Republican Party (SRP), of which he was its long-time gubernatorial candidate, met at the San Jerónimo Hilton hotel in 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...

 and refused to defend the statehood option in the upcoming July 27 political status plebiscite convened by the pro-status quo Popular Democratic Party

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....

 (PDP)-dominated Legislature.

Secretly meeting at the Puerto Rico Bar Association

Puerto Rico Bar Association

The Puerto Rico Bar Association or Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico was founded in the 19th century and has evolved into an organization in which until 2009; all practicing attorneys must have been members in order to practice law in the United States territory of Puerto Rico...

 or Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico headquarters, Estadistas Unidos was organized in weeks and, against overwhelming odds, was able to launch Puerto Rico's first modern, media-based political campaign which resulted in a dramatic increase in votes for statehood (39%) in the plebiscite, in spite of the electoral boycott called for by the Statehood Republican Party.

In addition to Ferré, other leaders of Estadistas Unidos included future Governor Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló 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 and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...

, future San Juan Mayor Hernán Padilla

Hernán Padilla

Hernán Padilla in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is a retired physician and former two-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest city in the United States....

, future Senator José Menéndez Monroig

José Menéndez Monroig

José Menéndez Monroig is a former Senator in the Puerto Rico Legislature serving from 1968 till 1976. After the 1972 Puerto Rican elections Carlos Romero Barcelo suggested that he be selected Minority Leader in the Senate instead of Justo Méndez who had occupied that position in the past four...

, and future Senator Justo Méndez. Among statehood leaders who remained loyal to the SRP were party president Miguel A. García Méndez

Miguel 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...

, future House Speaker Pro Tem José Granados

José Granados

José Granados Navedo, , is a former Speaker Pro Tem of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Married, with three children, he lives with his family in Florida.-Early years:...

 and future Senate Vice President Orlando Parga

Orlando Parga

- Early life:Orlando Parga-Figueroa is a former Senator of Puerto Rico born in Mayaguez and currently resides in Caguas with his wife, Teresita. His father, Orlando Parga Tossas, was a leader of the StatehoodRepublican Party and a right-hand man to SRP leader Miguel A. García Méndez...

, Jr.

On August 20, 1967, organization leaders met at a basketball arena in Carolina, Puerto Rico

Carolina, Puerto Rico

Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...

 for the purpose of dissolving the organization, which they did, but immediately approved a motion to found a new political party, which would be known as 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...

(NPP), which went on to win the next general election, breaking the PDP's 28-year long stranglehold on political power, electing Ferré as the first pro-statehood governor. Estadistas Unidos is, thus, deemed to be the precursor of the NPP.