Carlos Romero Barceló | |
|---|---|
.png) Romero Barceló in 2009 | |
| United States Shadow Senator fromPuerto Rico | |
| In office August 15, 2017 – May 2, 2021 | |
| Appointed by | Ricardo Rosselló |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Zoraida Buxó |
| Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 1993 – January 2, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Antonio Colorado |
| Succeeded by | Aníbal Acevedo Vilá |
| Member of thePuerto Rico Senate from theBayamón district | |
| In office September 5, 1986 – January 2, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Hernandez Ferrer |
| Succeeded by | Anibal Marrero Perez |
| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 1977 – January 2, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Rafael Hernández Colón |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Hernández Colón |
| President of the New Progressive Party | |
| In office January 2, 1989 – March 23, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Ramon Luis Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Rosselló |
| In office October 7, 1974 – June 20, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Luis A. Ferré |
| Succeeded by | Baltasar Corrada del Río |
| Mayor of San Juan | |
| In office January 2, 1969 – January 2, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Felisa Rincón de Gautier |
| Succeeded by | Hernán Padilla |
| 49thPresident of the National League of Cities | |
| In office 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Jake Garn |
| Succeeded by | Hans Tanzler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (1932-09-04)September 4, 1932 |
| Died | May 2, 2021(2021-05-02) (aged 88) San Juan, Puerto Rico[citation needed] |
| Political party | Republican Statehood (Before 1967) New Progressive (1967–2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingMelinda[1] |
| Education | Yale University(BA) University of Puerto Rico School of Law(LLB) |
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was aPuerto Rican politician who served as thegovernor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from theNew Progressive Party (PNP). He also served on several other political positions includingMayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1977 andResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico inUnited States Congress from 1993 to 2001.[2]
Romero Barceló was the grandson ofAntonio R. Barceló, a Union Party leader and advocate of Puerto Rican independence during the early 20th century, and the son ofJosefina Barceló, the first woman to preside over a major political party in Puerto Rico.
Romero Barceló was born in 1932 inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Antonio Romero Moreno andJosefina Barceló Bird. His father was a lawyer and engineer who served as a superior court judge.[3] His maternal grandfather wasAntonio Rafael Barceló the son of Jaime José Barceló Miralles fromPalma, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain and Josefa Martínez de León fromNaguabo.[4][5][6]
Carlos Romero Barceló attendedPhillips Exeter Academy in the state ofNew Hampshire, graduating in 1949. Later he attendedYale University, obtaining a B.A. inPolitical Science and Economics in 1953. That same year, at age 21, he returned to Puerto Rico and enrolled at theUniversity of Puerto Rico Law School, becoming a licensed lawyer in 1956.
Romero Barceló, an avid supporter of Puerto Rico statehood with the United States of America,[7] became involved with the "Partido Estadista Republicano", the forerunner of the New Progressive Party, which at the time was led byMiguel Angel Garcia Mendez. He formed part of "Ciudadanos pro Estado 51" (Citizens for the 51st State) in 1965. Later, he was one of the founder's of thepro-statehood group "Estadistas Unidos", founded byLuis Ferre.[8]
Romero was one of the founding members of the New Progressive Party in 1967. The following year he was elected Mayor ofSan Juan, Puerto Rico, succeeding the legendary "doña Fela" (Felisa Rincón de Gautier) and becoming the first popularly elected mayor of San Juan, since previous mayors were elected by the San Juan City Council, not directly by the electorate. During his second term, in 1973, he became the first Hispanic to become vice-president of theNational League of Cities and at the end of 1974 was chosen to serve as president of the organization. He served as mayor until 1976 when he defeated incumbent governor of Puerto RicoRafael Hernández Colón. WhileHernán Padilla was elected to succeed him, technically, his immediate successor wasCarlos S. Quirós, his Vice Mayor who became full mayor for over a week until Padilla's term began. Some of his notable accomplishments as mayor were the inclusion of San Juan into U.S. PresidentLyndon Johnson'sModel Cities Program, which changed the face of the slum called"El Fanguito" to become the area of the "new" San Juan where modern facilities such as the San Juan Natatorium, the Puerto Rico Coliseum and numerous residential condominium projects were eventually built; the construction of theRoberto Clemente Coliseum and the first municipal educational institution of Puerto Rico: the Colegio Universitario de San Juan.
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 damaged his image.[citation needed]
In 1980 he was elected for a second term as governor by a margin of 3,037 votes again overPPD-candidateRafael Hernández Colón. The 1980 gubernatorial elections were among the closest in Puerto Rican history, requiring the intervention of theSupreme Court of Puerto Rico to rule whether improperly cast ballots should be counted. In particular, thePuerto Rico Statehood Students Association underLuis Fortuño generated over 1,500 absentee ballots for Romero Barceló that proved an important factor in his re-election. However, theNew Progressive Party lost control of the legislature, and party-affiliated mayors won in only 28 of the 78 municipalities on the island. The 1980 elections were 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 win with straight-party ballots.This election was similar to the 2004 and 2012 elections, decided by less-than-one-percent margins.
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.
Romero Barceló is frequently associated with the"Cerro Maravilla Incident" of 1978 in which two young pro-Independence activists atCerro Maravilla were killed at the hands of rogue members of the Puerto Rican Police after being lured by the police to a mountainous area that housed communications and television towers. The tragic incident was investigated several times by the Puerto Rico Justice Department, theU.S. Justice Department, and theF.B.I., and was widely reported on by the local press. In 1984, 10 police officers were indicted and found guilty of perjury, destruction of evidence, and obstruction of justice, with four being convicted of and one pleading guilty to second degree murder.[9]
He sought re-election for a third term in 1984 but was defeated byRafael Hernández Colón. After the elections, Romero-Barceló's reaction to the defeat, in response to TV news reporterRafael Bracero, was¿Derrota, qué Derrota? (Defeat, 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.[10]
In 1986, he was elected by his party to fill a vacancy in theSenate of Puerto Rico, a position for which he did not seek re-election 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 the United States Congress in 1992.
In the 1992 elections, Romero was elected to the 103rd and 104th United States Congress asResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, and relocated to Washington, D.C. He was re-elected to the 105th and 106th United States Congress as well.
During his tenure as Resident Commissioner he campaigned for Puerto Ricanstatehood, successfully proposed to Congress the derogation of the 936 tax code and endorsed theYoung Project, which sought to call a referendum to resolve Puerto Rico's political status. In 2000, he sought a third term but was defeated byPPD'sAníbal Acevedo Vilá. He once again sought his party's nomination for the post of Resident Commissioner in 2003, but was defeated byLuis Fortuño. Although he retired from electoral politics, he remained active inPNP political gatherings, the Puerto Rico Democratic Party, theUnited States Democratic party, and was a member of theLeague of United Latin American Citizens.
On July 3, 2017, he was appointed by GovernorRicardo Rosselló as Puerto Rico's firstUnited States Shadow Senator to theU.S. Senate under theTennessee Plan approved by Act No. 30 of June 5, 2017 of thePuerto Rico Legislature. Holders of this position do not officially participate in Senate proceedings, but may serve as an advocate for their territories.[11]
Romero Barceló was hospitalized inSan Juan, Puerto Rico[citation needed] in March 2021 forsepsis and aurinary tract infection.[12] He died a month later on May 2, 2021, at the age of 88.[12]
Romero Barceló marriedKate Donnelly on January 2, 1966. His daughter,Melinda Romero Donnelly, was an NPP member of theHouse 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 senatorJorge De Castro Font. Romero Barceló was aboxing fan, and advocated for holding world championship bouts in San Juan during his terms in office. Some of his accomplishments were theMinillas Tunnel, theCentro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferre, the creation of thePuerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, and theRoberto Clemente Coliseum (while the Mayor of San Juan).
Federal charges filed against Puerto Rico former governorAníbal Acevedo Vilá stemmed from a tip brought to federal prosecutors by Romero Barceló. Romero openly admitted to being the catalyst of the federal investigation against Acevedo Vilá. In 2000, Acevedo accused Romero Barcelo of receiving $175,000 USD of illegal contributions to fund his own campaign bid for Resident Commissioner. In the end, Acevedo Vilá was acquitted of all charges.[13]
In 1977, he received a doctorateHonoris causa from theUniversity of Bridgeport inConnecticut.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of San Juan 1969–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Puerto Rico 1977–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of the Puerto Rico New Progressive Party 1974–1987 | Succeeded by |
| New Progressive nominee forGovernor of Puerto Rico 1976,1980,1984 | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of the Puerto Rico New Progressive Party 1989–1991 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico 1993–2001 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| New seat | U.S. Shadow Senator (Seat 2) from Puerto Rico 2017–2021 Served alongside:Zoraida Fonalledas | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
