Maurice Ferre
Encyclopedia
Maurice A. Ferre is a former six-term Mayor of Miami. Ferre was the first United States mayor born in Puerto Rico and the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S. Senate seat for Florida vacated by Mel Martinez
for the Democratic primary.
, Puerto Rico
, was born into a wealthy Puerto Rican family. He was the son of businessman José Ferré and nephew of the former governor of Puerto Rico Luis A. Ferré
. Ferre's father José visited Miami, Florida in the 1920s and wondered why the city did not have any tall buildings. He then ventured into construction and real estate development in Miami. Ferre was born when José and his family returned to his hometown, Ponce in Puerto Rico.
Maurice Ferre served in the Florida House of Representatives
from 1967–1968. He served as mayor of Miami from 1973–1985.
From 1993 to 1996, Ferre was Vice-Chairman of the Dade County Board of Commissioners. He has been active in national political campaigns and he was a member of several presidential advisory boards. Ferre has also worked as a banker and business consultant and has held various research and teaching posts.
On December 20, 1995, Francisco Ferré Malaussena, Mariana Gomez de Ferre, and Felipe Antonio Ferre Gomez, the son, daughter-in-law, and grandson of Maurice Ferre, died when American Airlines Flight 965
crashed into a mountain in Colombia.
In November 2001, Maurice Ferre lost his bid to be reelected Mayor of Miami.
and is writing a book about the contributions Hispanics have made to the American culture. Ferre is one of the driving forces behind the INTERMESTIC (stands for "International" – "Domestic") dialogue, which attempts to seek consensus regarding Puerto Rico's political status problem from an "international" as well as "domestic" point of view. He most recently spoke about this effort to deal with Puerto Rico's political status in an address to the Puerto Rico Senate as keynote speaker during the Governors' Day special session on February 16, 2006.
In October 2009, he announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate seat from Florida.
Mel Martinez
Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martinez , is a former United States Senator from Florida and served as Chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party...
for the Democratic primary.
Early years
Ferre, born in PoncePonce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, Puerto Rico
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...
, was born into a wealthy Puerto Rican family. He was the son of businessman José Ferré and nephew of the former governor of Puerto Rico 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...
. Ferre's father José visited Miami, Florida in the 1920s and wondered why the city did not have any tall buildings. He then ventured into construction and real estate development in Miami. Ferre was born when José and his family returned to his hometown, Ponce in Puerto Rico.
Maurice Ferre served in the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
from 1967–1968. He served as mayor of Miami from 1973–1985.
From 1993 to 1996, Ferre was Vice-Chairman of the Dade County Board of Commissioners. He has been active in national political campaigns and he was a member of several presidential advisory boards. Ferre has also worked as a banker and business consultant and has held various research and teaching posts.
On December 20, 1995, Francisco Ferré Malaussena, Mariana Gomez de Ferre, and Felipe Antonio Ferre Gomez, the son, daughter-in-law, and grandson of Maurice Ferre, died when American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757 registered , was a scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, which crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia on December 20, 1995, killing 151 passengers and 8...
crashed into a mountain in Colombia.
In November 2001, Maurice Ferre lost his bid to be reelected Mayor of Miami.
Later years
Ferre is on a fellowship at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and is writing a book about the contributions Hispanics have made to the American culture. Ferre is one of the driving forces behind the INTERMESTIC (stands for "International" – "Domestic") dialogue, which attempts to seek consensus regarding Puerto Rico's political status problem from an "international" as well as "domestic" point of view. He most recently spoke about this effort to deal with Puerto Rico's political status in an address to the Puerto Rico Senate as keynote speaker during the Governors' Day special session on February 16, 2006.
In October 2009, he announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate seat from Florida.