José Coll y Cuchí
Encyclopedia
José Coll y Cuchi was a lawyer
, writer
and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
. He was a member of a prominent Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers See: "Notable family members" section .
, Puerto Rico
. His father was Cayetano Coll y Toste
, a historian who in 1913 was named the "Official Historian of Puerto Rico" and his mother Adela, was the daughter of José Cuchi y Arnau former mayor of Arecibo. His family sent him to private schools for his primary and secondary education. In 1896, Coll y Cuchi's family sent him to Spain
where he earned his degree in law from the University of Barcelona
. During his stay in Spain, he became interested in politics and became involved with the Puerto Rico's independence movement.
When Coll y Cuchi returned to Puerto Rico, he found himself with a totally different political situation. The island which once belonged to the Spanish Crown was now a territory of the American
. This came about as part of the accord of the Treaty of Paris
as a consequence of the outcome of the Spanish-American War
.
and was re-elected to the Chamber of Delegates in 1908. As member of the Chamber, he led the fight against the Foraker Law, also known as the Organic Act of 1900, which established a civilian government in the island. The new government had an American
governor and executive council appointed by the President of the United States
.
By 1919, Coll y Cuchi felt that the Union Party wasn't doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rico and together with some followers departed from the party and formed the Nationalist Association of Puerto Rico in San Juan
. During that time there were two other organizations that were pro-independence, they were the Nationalist Youth and the Independence Association. Under Coll y Cuchi's presidency, the party was able to convince the Puerto Rican Legislature Assembly to approve an act that would permit the transfer of the mortal remains of Puerto Rican patriot Ramón Emeterio Betances
from Paris
, France
to Puerto Rico. Betances' remains arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 5, 1920 and a funeral caravan organized by the Nationalist Association transferred the remains from the capital to the town of Cabo Rojo
where his ashes were interred by his monument.
) vice-president. In 1924 Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
joined the party and was named vice-president.
In 1927, Coll y Cuchi was invited to Columbia University to give a conference. At that conference the governor of New York Al Smith
was present and congratulated Coll y Cuchi. When Smith ran for President of the U.S. in 1928, under the democratic ticket, he invited Coll y Cuchi to come to the U.S. and campaign for him among the Hispanic
communities, which he did. The Nationalist Party did poorly in the 1928 elections, they only received 399 votes out of a total of 253,520 votes.
Despite the fact that he was a leader in the independence movement, Coll y Cuchi displayed respect and admiration towards the Americans. Albizu Campos did not like what he considered was Coll y Cuchi's attitude of fraternal solidarity with the enemy. By 1930, there were more disagreements between Coll y Cuchi and Albizu as to how the party should be run. As a result Coll y Cuchi abandoned the party and some of his followers returned to the Union Party. On May 11, 1930, Albizu Campos was elected president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. In 1931, when President Herbert Hoover
visited Puerto Rico, Coll y Cuchi urged the islanders to greet him with a warm welcome.
(1850-1930), was a historian
and writer
. His brother Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
, was a President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives. His daughter Edna Coll
was a noted educator and author who founded the Academy of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico and his niece Isabel Cuchí Coll
was a journalist, author and the Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño" (Society of Puerto Rican Authors). His nephew {Edna's son) Jose "Fufi" Santori Coll
was a former BSN basketball player, coach and television sportscaster.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
. He was a member of a prominent Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers See: "Notable family members" section .
Early years
Coll y Cuchi was born in AreciboArecibo
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...
, 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...
. His father was Cayetano Coll y Toste
Cayetano Coll y Toste
Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...
, a historian who in 1913 was named the "Official Historian of Puerto Rico" and his mother Adela, was the daughter of José Cuchi y Arnau former mayor of Arecibo. His family sent him to private schools for his primary and secondary education. In 1896, Coll y Cuchi's family sent him to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where he earned his degree in law from the University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
. During his stay in Spain, he became interested in politics and became involved with the Puerto Rico's independence movement.
When Coll y Cuchi returned to Puerto Rico, he found himself with a totally different political situation. The island which once belonged to the Spanish Crown was now a territory of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This came about as part of the accord of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
as a consequence of the outcome of 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...
.
Politician
In 1904, he joined the Puerto Rican Republican Party and was elected to the Puerto Rican Chamber of Delegates. Believing that Puerto Rico's identity as a nation was threaten by the Foraker Law, he decided to join the Puerto Rican Union Party headed by Antonio R. BarcelóAntonio 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 was re-elected to the Chamber of Delegates in 1908. As member of the Chamber, he led the fight against the Foraker Law, also known as the Organic Act of 1900, which established a civilian government in the island. The new government had an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
governor and executive council appointed by the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
By 1919, Coll y Cuchi felt that the Union Party wasn't doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rico and together with some followers departed from the party and formed the Nationalist Association of Puerto Rico in San Juan
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...
. During that time there were two other organizations that were pro-independence, they were the Nationalist Youth and the Independence Association. Under Coll y Cuchi's presidency, the party was able to convince the Puerto Rican Legislature Assembly to approve an act that would permit the transfer of the mortal remains of Puerto Rican patriot Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution, and as such, is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement...
from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Puerto Rico. Betances' remains arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 5, 1920 and a funeral caravan organized by the Nationalist Association transferred the remains from the capital to the town of Cabo Rojo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
where his ashes were interred by his monument.
Founding of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
On September 17, 1922, the three political organizations joined forces and formed the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Coll y Cuchi was elected president and José S. Alegría (father of Ricardo AlegriaRicardo Alegría
Ricardo Alegría was a Puerto Rican scholar, cultural anthropologist and archeologist known as the "Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology".-Early years:...
) vice-president. In 1924 Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
joined the party and was named vice-president.
In 1927, Coll y Cuchi was invited to Columbia University to give a conference. At that conference the governor of New York Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
was present and congratulated Coll y Cuchi. When Smith ran for President of the U.S. in 1928, under the democratic ticket, he invited Coll y Cuchi to come to the U.S. and campaign for him among the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
communities, which he did. The Nationalist Party did poorly in the 1928 elections, they only received 399 votes out of a total of 253,520 votes.
Despite the fact that he was a leader in the independence movement, Coll y Cuchi displayed respect and admiration towards the Americans. Albizu Campos did not like what he considered was Coll y Cuchi's attitude of fraternal solidarity with the enemy. By 1930, there were more disagreements between Coll y Cuchi and Albizu as to how the party should be run. As a result Coll y Cuchi abandoned the party and some of his followers returned to the Union Party. On May 11, 1930, Albizu Campos was elected president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. In 1931, when President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
visited Puerto Rico, Coll y Cuchi urged the islanders to greet him with a warm welcome.
Notable family members
Coll y Cuchí came from a prominent family of Puerto Rican educators, politicians and writers. His father Dr. Cayetano Coll y TosteCayetano Coll y Toste
Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...
(1850-1930), was a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. His brother Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
Cayetano Coll y Cuchí
Cayetano Coll y Cuchí was a politician, writer and an advocate of Puerto Rican Independence. In 1917, he became the first President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives after the island was ceded to the United States by Spain as a result of the Spanish-American War...
, was a President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives. His daughter Edna Coll
Edna Coll
Dr. Edna Coll was an educator and author. Coll, who came from a prominent family of Puerto Rican politicians and writers,See: "Notable family members" section was President of the Society of Puerto Rican Authors in San Juan...
was a noted educator and author who founded the Academy of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico and his niece Isabel Cuchí Coll
Isabel Cuchí Coll
Isabel Cuchí Coll was a journalist, author and the Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño"...
was a journalist, author and the Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño" (Society of Puerto Rican Authors). His nephew {Edna's son) Jose "Fufi" Santori Coll
Fufi Santori
Jose Santori Coll , better known as Fufi Santori, is a well known former BSN basketball player, coach and television sportscaster. He was also a physical education, basketball and tennis instructor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez for close to thirty years...
was a former BSN basketball player, coach and television sportscaster.
Later years
Coll y Cuchi was director of Puerto Rican Athaeneum's Political Sciences Section. He is the only Puerto Rican to have received the Medal of Honor from Spain's "Royal Academy of the Spanish Language" for the best book published during a five year span. Coll y Cuchi never abandoned his pro-independence ideals and continued to be active in the independence cause. José Coll y Cuchi died in Santurce, Puerto Rico on July 2, 1960.Written works
Among his written works are the following:- The Secular Issues of the Jewish People
- America's Doctrine
- Nationalism in Puerto Rico (1923)
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyPuerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
- Ponce MassacrePonce massacreThe Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...
- Río Piedras massacreRío Piedras massacreThe Río Piedras massacre occurred at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and involved a confrontation between local police officers and supporters of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party on October 24, 1935...
- Jayuya UprisingJayuya UprisingThe Jayuya Uprising, also known as the Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, refers to a nationalist revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950...
- Utuado UprisingUtuado UprisingThe Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
- Truman assassination attemptTruman assassination attemptThe assassination attempt on U.S. President Harry S. Truman occurred on November 1, 1950. It was perpetrated by two Puerto Rican pro-independence activists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, while the President resided at the Blair House. The attempt resulted in the deaths of White House Police...
- Puerto Rican Independence PartyPuerto Rican Independence PartyThe Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
- History of Puerto RicoHistory of Puerto RicoThe history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the archipelago of Puerto Rico by the Ortoiroid people between 3000 and 2000 BC. Other tribes, such as the Saladoid and Arawak Indians, populated the island between 430 BC and 1000 AD. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New...