Rafael Martínez Nadal
Encyclopedia
Senator Rafael Martínez Nadal, the third president of the Senate of Puerto Rico
, was an orphan from an early age, since his mother, Estebanía Nadal Freyte died hours after his birth, and his father, Rafael Martínez Santana, when he was only five years old. Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
on April 22, 1877, he was raised in Maricao, Puerto Rico
, studied in San Juan, Puerto Rico
before travelling to Barcelona, Spain to study law.
For several years he lived in Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, where he was a businessman in fields as varied as bull fighting, meat distribution, theater production and coffee importation, before returning to Mayagüez on August 13, 1904, where he became a journalist and joined the Puerto Rico Republican Party founded several years before by doctor José Celso Barbosa
. In 1908 he founded the "El Combate" newspaper. In 1912, he moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico
and once again studied law and joined the bar, where his practice became so prominent that, even decades later, many court observers quipped a popular rhyme in Spanish ("Temblaba la corte, temblaba el fiscal, temblaban los jueces, cuando llegaba Martínez Nadal" or "the court trembled, the DA trembled, the judge trembled, when Martínez Nadal arrived").
. In 1933 he became the third President of the Senate, a position he held until 1940.
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
, was an orphan from an early age, since his mother, Estebanía Nadal Freyte died hours after his birth, and his father, Rafael Martínez Santana, when he was only five years old. Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
on April 22, 1877, he was raised in Maricao, Puerto Rico
Maricao, Puerto Rico
Maricao is the second-least populous municipality of Puerto Ricolocated at the western edge of the Cordillera Central. It is a small town set around a small plaza in hilly terrain, north of San Germán, Saban Grande and Yauco; south of Las Marías and Lares, southeast of Mayagüez, and west of Adjuntas...
, studied in San Juan, Puerto Rico
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...
before travelling to Barcelona, Spain to study law.
For several years he lived in Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, where he was a businessman in fields as varied as bull fighting, meat distribution, theater production and coffee importation, before returning to Mayagüez on August 13, 1904, where he became a journalist and joined the Puerto Rico Republican Party founded several years before by doctor José Celso Barbosa
José Celso Barbosa
Dr. José Celso Barbosa was a medical Physician, sociologist, and political leader of Puerto Rico.Known within Puerto Rico's New Progressive Party as "The father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico movement", Barbosa was also the first Puerto Rican to be awarded an American medical degree.-Early...
. In 1908 he founded the "El Combate" newspaper. In 1912, he moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, 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...
and once again studied law and joined the bar, where his practice became so prominent that, even decades later, many court observers quipped a popular rhyme in Spanish ("Temblaba la corte, temblaba el fiscal, temblaban los jueces, cuando llegaba Martínez Nadal" or "the court trembled, the DA trembled, the judge trembled, when Martínez Nadal arrived").
Political life
Elected in 1914 as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Delegates, the precursor of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives representing Ponce, he served six terms as a senator from 1920 until his death from cancer on July 6, 1941 in Guaynabo, Puerto RicoGuaynabo, Puerto Rico
Guaynabo is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan...
. In 1933 he became the third President of the Senate, a position he held until 1940.