Eduardo Georgetti
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Georgetti was an agriculturist, businessman, philanthropist, and politician. Georgetti, who came from a family of prosperous land owners, became one of Puerto Rico's wealthiest sugar barons and benefactors. In 1917, he became the first Vice-president of the Puerto Rican Senate.
. His father was Dr. Pedro Juan Giorgetti Battesti, an immigrant from Corsica
and his mother Guadalupe Fernandez Vanga y Freites, native of Puerto Rico whose family were land owners. He became orphaned at a young age and went to live with his maternal uncle. He received his primary education in the Colegio de los Jesuitas de San Juan (School of the Jesuits of San Juan). Georgetti inherited the lands of his parents which his uncle administrated, during the time that he was in Corsica
pursuing his secondary education at the Liceo de Córcega (Lyceum of Corsica).
which had its own dock that was used to transport sugar by barge to the waiting ships on the ocean. The company, which was the core of his fortune, was the main source of income and employment of the towns' inhabitants.
Georgetti expanded his sugar industry empire by purchasing land and other sugar refineries. Among the sugar plantations which Georgetti purchased were Los Canos in Arecibo
and the Central Plata, in which he served as the corporation's president. He was also the owner of the island's second largest pineapple plantation. Giorgetti was also a member of the board of directors of various banks, including the American Colonial Bank, Banco Comercial de Puerto Rico and Banco Nova Scotia.
, as part of a joint municipality. Georgetti did not agree with this, and fought successfully for the re-establishment of Barceloneta as a separate, stand-alone municipality.
Georgetti continued to serve as mayor of Barceloneta from 1897 to 1898. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, which supported the Spanish government headed by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
, which had promised an autonomous government for Puerto Rico. After the Spanish-American War
, when Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States, Georgetti together with his friend Luis Muñoz Rivera
, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
, Antonio R. Barceló
and José de Diego
, founded the Union Party of Puerto Rico. The party won the elections in 1904 and Georgetti was elected to the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. This Union Party opposed the passage of the U.S. Foraker Act
, which extended every U.S. federal law into Puerto Rico, and subsumed the entire body of Puerto Rico's statutory and regulatory code under the framework of U.S. federal law. The Union Party also favored the acquisition of greater political autonomy for Puerto Rico, as a pathway to full independence.
In 1916, Georgetti's long time friend Luis Muñoz Rivera fell gravely ill in New York City
and returned to Puerto Rico, staying in Georgetti's house to recuperate. Georgetti summoned Muñoz Rivera's wife and son, Luis Muñoz Marin
, to Puerto Rico and informed them that he was suffering from an infection that had begun in the gallbladder
, before expanding throughout his body. On November 15, 1916, Muñoz Rivera died during his stay in the Georgetti residence. Georgetti's 1914 Pierce Arrow automobile
was used in the statesman's funeral procession. Together with a group of friends' Georgetti purchased Muñoz Rivera's newspaper La Democracia and provided Muñoz Rivera's widow Amalia Marín Castilla with a small monthly pension. La Democracia also provided Rivera's son, Muñoz Marin, with an outlet to publish his written works. Georgetti also purchased the Muñoz Rivera home in 1916 and donated it together with the Pierce Arrow car to the town of Barranquitas
to be preserved as a national monument.
After Muñoz Rivera's death Barceló became the leading force behind the Union Party and its liberal ideas for the island. In the elections of 1917, the Union Party was victorious. Antonio R. Barceló was named President of the Puerto Rican Senate and Georgetti was named Vice-president, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to hold said position. In 1924, Barceló later formed a political coalition with Jose Tous Soto, the president of the pro-statehood Republican Party of Puerto Rico, and founded the "Alliance Party." This coalition came about because both Barceló and Tous Soto came to believed that neither independence nor statehood would be considered by the United States. Therefore, rather than wage a futile political battle, their "Alliance" would concentrate on Puerto Rico's economic situation. This led to idealogical conflict between Georgetti and Barceló.
Georgetti was committed to the original independentista ideals of the Union Party, and found these incompatible with an "economic partnership" with the United States, as espoused by the Alliance coalition. Barceló and a group of party delegates had traveled to Washington, D.C.
to seek changes in the Jones Act
of 1917, by claiming that the Puerto Rican economy was sound and that Puerto Ricans were capable of electing their own governor. In response, Georgetti traveled to Washington as a representative of various island organizations, among them the Agriculturist Association and the Association of Sugar Producers. The group which he represented became known by the press as the Fuerzas Vivas (Live Forces).
Georgetti and the Fuerzas Vivas submitted a "Fiscal Memorandum" the U.S. Secretary of War, which presented a much bleaker view of the Puerto Rican economy. According to this memorandum, the island was on the brink of economic ruin unless it diversifed its agricultural production, and become less dependent on the sugar industry as its sole source of income. Georgetti's actions were viewed by Barceló as an attempt by Georgetti and the Fuerzas Vivas to discredit Barceló and weaken the Alliance. Georgetti denied this, and quit the Alliance.
In 1923, Georgetti and his wife built a $17 million dollar mansion in Santurce
. Known as the "Mansion Georgetti," it was located on the Avenida Ponce de León (Ponce de León Avenue), designed and built by Czech
architect Antonin Nechodoma
, and considered to be the grandest mansion in the Caribbean
at the time.
Prior to the mansion, Georgetti lived in a Rio Piedras house built in 1868. The house, known as the "Casa Georgetti," is the oldest Spanish colonial structure in that county.
Georgetti and his wife did not have any offspring, however they were the benefactors of many talented children who lacked the economic means to pursue an education. As a philanthropist
, he was a sponsor of the arts and sciences. Georgetti was also the president of the Children's Tuberculosis Sanitarium of Puerto Rico.
Eduardo Georgetti died in his Santurce residence in 1937. His wife Aúrea died the following year. Their Mansion Georgetti was sold in 1971, demolished, and replaced with an apartment building complex.
The Casa Georgetti in Rio Piedras was landmarked and restored to its original condition.
, Humacao
, Comerio
and Vega Alta
.
Early years
Georgetti (sometimes also spelled as "Giorgetti") was born in the town of ManatíManatí, Puerto Rico
Manatí is a municipality of Puerto Rico in the northern coast, north of Morovis and Ciales; east of Florida and Barceloneta; and west of Vega Baja. Manatí is spread over 8 wards and Manatí Pueblo...
. His father was Dr. Pedro Juan Giorgetti Battesti, an immigrant from Corsica
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of various economic and political changes in the mid-19th century Europe; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread...
and his mother Guadalupe Fernandez Vanga y Freites, native of Puerto Rico whose family were land owners. He became orphaned at a young age and went to live with his maternal uncle. He received his primary education in the Colegio de los Jesuitas de San Juan (School of the Jesuits of San Juan). Georgetti inherited the lands of his parents which his uncle administrated, during the time that he was in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
pursuing his secondary education at the Liceo de Córcega (Lyceum of Corsica).
Sugar baron
Upon his return to Puerto Rico he found that the lands which he had left in the hands of his uncle had prospered enormously. Georgetti married Aúrea Balseiro Dávila in 1888. Together with is father-in-law, Rafael Balseiro, he purchased a company called Florida Agrícola and renamed it Sociedad Agrícola Industrial Balseiro y Georgetti (the Balseiro and Georgetti Industrial Agricultural Society). Georgetti founded and was the owner of the Plazuela Sugar Company, a sugar refinery, in the town of BarcelonetaBarceloneta, Puerto Rico
Barceloneta is a municipality in Puerto Rico and is located in the north region, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Florida, east of Arecibo and west of Manati. Barceloneta is spread over 3 wards and Barceloneta Pueblo...
which had its own dock that was used to transport sugar by barge to the waiting ships on the ocean. The company, which was the core of his fortune, was the main source of income and employment of the towns' inhabitants.
Georgetti expanded his sugar industry empire by purchasing land and other sugar refineries. Among the sugar plantations which Georgetti purchased were Los Canos in Arecibo
Arecibo
Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
and the Central Plata, in which he served as the corporation's president. He was also the owner of the island's second largest pineapple plantation. Giorgetti was also a member of the board of directors of various banks, including the American Colonial Bank, Banco Comercial de Puerto Rico and Banco Nova Scotia.
Political career
It was common practice in Puerto Rico for businessmen to become involved in politics. On December 23, 1897, Georgetti was named Mayor of Barceloneta by Sabas Marin Gonzalez, the then-appointed Spanish governor of Puerto Rico. After the United States invaded Puerto Rico and the island became a U.S. territory as a result of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, which ended the Spanish-American War, the military appointed governor Major General John R. Brooke, permitted, upon the advice of Luis Muñoz Rivera, that Georgetti continue as Mayor. Under the new administration, Barceloneta was merged with the town of ManatiManatí, Puerto Rico
Manatí is a municipality of Puerto Rico in the northern coast, north of Morovis and Ciales; east of Florida and Barceloneta; and west of Vega Baja. Manatí is spread over 8 wards and Manatí Pueblo...
, as part of a joint municipality. Georgetti did not agree with this, and fought successfully for the re-establishment of Barceloneta as a separate, stand-alone municipality.
Georgetti continued to serve as mayor of Barceloneta from 1897 to 1898. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, which supported the Spanish government headed by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Práxedes Mariano Mateo Sagasta y Escolar was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister on eight occasions between 1870 and 1902—always in charge of the Liberal Party—as part of the turno pacifico, alternating with the Liberal-Conservative leader Antonio Cánovas...
, which had promised an autonomous government for Puerto Rico. After the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, when Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States, Georgetti together with his friend Luis Muñoz Rivera
Luis Muñoz Rivera
Luis Muñoz Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico....
, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón was a lawyer, a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, and a lifelong political contrarian. He favored Puerto Rican autonomy when Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony. After the Spanish-American War, when the island was ceded to the United States, he advocated...
, 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...
and José de Diego
José de Diego
José de Diego y Martínez , known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement", was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and from the United States....
, founded the Union Party of Puerto Rico. The party won the elections in 1904 and Georgetti was elected to the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. This Union Party opposed the passage of the U.S. Foraker Act
Foraker Act
The Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
, which extended every U.S. federal law into Puerto Rico, and subsumed the entire body of Puerto Rico's statutory and regulatory code under the framework of U.S. federal law. The Union Party also favored the acquisition of greater political autonomy for Puerto Rico, as a pathway to full independence.
In 1916, Georgetti's long time friend Luis Muñoz Rivera fell gravely ill in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and returned to Puerto Rico, staying in Georgetti's house to recuperate. Georgetti summoned Muñoz Rivera's wife and son, Luis Muñoz Marin
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
, to Puerto Rico and informed them that he was suffering from an infection that had begun in the gallbladder
Gallbladder
In vertebrates the gallbladder is a small organ that aids mainly in fat digestion and concentrates bile produced by the liver. In humans the loss of the gallbladder is usually easily tolerated....
, before expanding throughout his body. On November 15, 1916, Muñoz Rivera died during his stay in the Georgetti residence. Georgetti's 1914 Pierce Arrow automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
was used in the statesman's funeral procession. Together with a group of friends' Georgetti purchased Muñoz Rivera's newspaper La Democracia and provided Muñoz Rivera's widow Amalia Marín Castilla with a small monthly pension. La Democracia also provided Rivera's son, Muñoz Marin, with an outlet to publish his written works. Georgetti also purchased the Muñoz Rivera home in 1916 and donated it together with the Pierce Arrow car to the town of Barranquitas
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
Barranquitas is a small mountain town located in the central region of Puerto Rico, south of Corozal and Naranjito; north of Coamo and Aibonito; west of Comerío and Cidra; and east of Orocovis. Barranquitas is spread over 6 wards and Barranquitas Pueblo...
to be preserved as a national monument.
After Muñoz Rivera's death Barceló became the leading force behind the Union Party and its liberal ideas for the island. In the elections of 1917, the Union Party was victorious. Antonio R. Barceló was named President of the Puerto Rican Senate and Georgetti was named Vice-president, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to hold said position. In 1924, Barceló later formed a political coalition with Jose Tous Soto, the president of the pro-statehood Republican Party of Puerto Rico, and founded the "Alliance Party." This coalition came about because both Barceló and Tous Soto came to believed that neither independence nor statehood would be considered by the United States. Therefore, rather than wage a futile political battle, their "Alliance" would concentrate on Puerto Rico's economic situation. This led to idealogical conflict between Georgetti and Barceló.
Georgetti was committed to the original independentista ideals of the Union Party, and found these incompatible with an "economic partnership" with the United States, as espoused by the Alliance coalition. Barceló and a group of party delegates had traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to seek changes in the Jones Act
Jones Act
The term Jones Act may refer to one of several federal laws in the United States:*The Jones Act was a 1916 statute sponsored by Representative William Atkinson Jones that provided the Philippine Islands a "more autonomous government" to prepare the territory for independence.*The Jones-Shafroth...
of 1917, by claiming that the Puerto Rican economy was sound and that Puerto Ricans were capable of electing their own governor. In response, Georgetti traveled to Washington as a representative of various island organizations, among them the Agriculturist Association and the Association of Sugar Producers. The group which he represented became known by the press as the Fuerzas Vivas (Live Forces).
Georgetti and the Fuerzas Vivas submitted a "Fiscal Memorandum" the U.S. Secretary of War, which presented a much bleaker view of the Puerto Rican economy. According to this memorandum, the island was on the brink of economic ruin unless it diversifed its agricultural production, and become less dependent on the sugar industry as its sole source of income. Georgetti's actions were viewed by Barceló as an attempt by Georgetti and the Fuerzas Vivas to discredit Barceló and weaken the Alliance. Georgetti denied this, and quit the Alliance.
Later years
Santurce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
. Known as the "Mansion Georgetti," it was located on the Avenida Ponce de León (Ponce de León Avenue), designed and built by Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
architect Antonin Nechodoma
Antonin Nechodoma
Antonin Nechodoma , was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to his architecture...
, and considered to be the grandest mansion in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
at the time.
Prior to the mansion, Georgetti lived in a Rio Piedras house built in 1868. The house, known as the "Casa Georgetti," is the oldest Spanish colonial structure in that county.
Georgetti and his wife did not have any offspring, however they were the benefactors of many talented children who lacked the economic means to pursue an education. As a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, he was a sponsor of the arts and sciences. Georgetti was also the president of the Children's Tuberculosis Sanitarium of Puerto Rico.
Eduardo Georgetti died in his Santurce residence in 1937. His wife Aúrea died the following year. Their Mansion Georgetti was sold in 1971, demolished, and replaced with an apartment building complex.
The Casa Georgetti in Rio Piedras was landmarked and restored to its original condition.
Legacy
The town of Barceloneta honored Georgetti's memory by naming a principal avenue and an urbanization (Villa Georgetti) after him. In the town of Santurce there is also a theater, Teatro Georgetti, named in his honor. Other cities in Puerto Rico have honored his memory by naming several streets after him, including San JuanSan 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...
, Humacao
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Humacao is a city in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo...
, Comerio
Comerío, Puerto Rico
Comerío is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the center-eastern region of island, north of Aibonito; south of Naranjito and Bayamón; east of Barranquitas; and west of Cidra and Aguas Buenas. Comerío is spread over 7 wards and Comerío Pueblo...
and Vega Alta
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Vega Alta is a municipality of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is located on the northern coast of the island, north of Morovis and Corozal; east of Vega Baja; and west of Dorado with an area of . Vega Alta is spread over seven wards and Vega Alta Pueblo...
.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Corsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of various economic and political changes in the mid-19th century Europe; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread...
Further reading
- "Eduardo Giorgetti Y Su Mundo: La Aparente Paradoja De Un Millonario Genio Empresarial Y Su Noble Humanismo"; by Delma S. ArrigoitiaDelma S. ArrigoitiaDr. Delma S. Arrigoitia, PhD, J.D., is a historian, author, educator and lawyer whose written works cover the life and works of some of Puerto Rico's most prominent politicians of the early 20th century. Arrigoitia was also the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a Masters Degree...
; Publisher: Ediciones Puerto; ISBN 0942347528; ISBN 9780942347524