Sergio Nicolás Peña Clos | |
|---|---|
| Member of thePuerto Rico Senate from the at-large district | |
| In office 1980–2004 | |
| President pro tempore of theSenate of Puerto Rico | |
| In office 1981–1988 | |
| Preceded by | José Manuel Ramos Barroso |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Deynes Soto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1927-06-13)June 13, 1927 |
| Died | March 20, 2018(2018-03-20) (aged 90) |
| Political party | Popular Democratic Party (PPD) New Progressive Party (PNP) |
| Alma mater | University of Puerto Rico (BSS) University of Puerto Rico School of Law (JD) |
| Profession | Politician,Senator,Attorney |
Sergio Nicolás Peña Clos (June 13, 1927 – March 20, 2018) was aPuerto Rican politician andSenator. He was a member of theSenate of Puerto Rico from 1980 to 2004.
Sergio Peña Clos was born on June 13, 1927, onHumacao,Puerto Rico, to Dr. Sergio Peña Almodóvar and Maria Clos Ribót. He finished the eighth grade at the Ponce de León public school in his hometown, and graduated from high school at theColegio San José inRío Piedras at the age of fourteen.[1] With only 15 years, Peña Clos enrolled at theUniversity of St. Louis inMissouri, where he studied for three years. He then returned to Puerto Rico and in 1951, he finished hisbachelor's degree in social science at theUniversity of Puerto Rico. In 1955, he graduated as anattorney from theUniversity of Puerto Rico School of Law.
At age 21, Peña Clos was a judicial adviser to judgeJulio Suárez Garriga. At the age of 23, he opened his ownlaw firm inCaguas and worked as a criminal lawyer.
In 1960, while working at thePuerto Rico Bar Association, Peña Clos became interested in the case ofSalvador Agron ("The Capeman") and Tony Hernández ("Umbrella Man"), twoPuerto Rican gang members (aged 16 and 15 respectively) accused of murdering two innocent teenagers and sentenced todeath row. Peña Clos appeared at theNew York Court of Appeals as a friend of the court, analyzing the case. Peña Clos also met with GovernorNelson Rockefeller, and eventually Agrón's death sentence was eliminated, while Hernández' sentence was revoked.[2]
In 1975, Peña Clos was named member and Vice President of the Civil Rights Commission of the Government of Puerto Rico. He remained in the commission until 1977.
Peña Clos began his political career in1980 when he was elected to theSenate of Puerto Rico for thePopular Democratic Party (PPD). During that term, he was electedPresident pro tempore of the Senate, underMiguel Hernández Agosto. Peña Clos was reelected in1984 and continued to serve as president pro tempore until 1988. Peña Clos was again reelected in the elections of1988 and1992.[3]
Peña Clos left the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and joined theNew Progressive Party (PNP) appearing on their ballot as Senator for the1996 elections. He was reelected once again[4] and presided over the Commission of Government Ethics and the Special Commission on the Events of theCerro Maravilla incident.
Peña Clos was again reelected in 2000 with the New Progressive Party.[5] However, he left the party in the middle of his term and declared himself an independent senator. He finished the term returning to the Popular Democratic Party. He presented his candidacy under the PPD for the 2003 primaries, but lost.[6]
Peña Clos continued working as an attorney and collaborated as a political commentator on television and radio shows. He died on March 20, 2018, at the age of 90. He was buried at Cementerio Borinquen Memorial inCaguas, Puerto Rico.
Peña Clos was married to Zoraida Ortiz Rivera, who was almost 40 years younger. In 2005, the senator was accused ofdomestic violence against Ortiz, but a jury absolved him of the charge.[7]
| Senate of Puerto Rico | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the Senate of Puerto Rico 1981–1988 | Succeeded by |
