Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico

The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

: El Comisionado Residente de Puerto Rico) is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of 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...

every four years. The Resident Commissioner is the only member of the House of Representatives who serves a four-year term.

The Commissioner is allowed to serve on congressional committee

United States Congressional committee

A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty . Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction...

s, and functions in every respect as a Representative except being denied a vote on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor.

In most other U.S. territories, a similar representative position is styled Delegate

Delegate (United States Congress)

A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...

List of Resident Commissioners

This is a complete list of Resident Commissioners of Puerto Rico:

Year(s) served	Name	Puerto Rican Party	National Party
1901–1905	Federico Degetau Federico Degetau Federico Degetau y González, born in Ponce was a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer, writer, author, and the first Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States House of Representatives.-Early years:...	Republican Republican Party (Puerto Rico) The Republican Party is a political party in Puerto Rico, and the affiliate of the national Republican Party of United States. The party supports statehood for the island. Carlos Méndez, the Mayor of Aguadilla, is the local chairman and the party is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Luis G...	Republican
1905–1911	Tulio Larrinaga Tulio Larrinaga Tulio Larrinaga was a Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.Born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Larrinaga attended the Seminario Consiliar of San Ildefonso at San Juan, Puerto Rico...	Unionist Union of Puerto Rico The Union of Puerto Rico , also known as the Union Party, was a major political party in Puerto Rico.The UPR was founded in February 1904 by Luis Muñoz Rivera, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, Antonio R. Barceló, José de Diego and others after the disbanding of the Federal Party...
1911–1916	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....	Unionist
1917–1932	Félix Córdova Dávila Félix Córdova Dávila Félix Lope María Córdova Dávila was a political leader and judge from Puerto Rico who served as Puerto Rico's fourth Resident Commissioner in Congress.-Early years:...	Unionist
1932–1933	José Lorenzo Pesquera José Lorenzo Pesquera José Lorenzo Pesquera was a Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Pesquera was graduated from Provincial Institute of Puerto Rico in 1897....	Nonpartisan
1933–1939	Santiago Iglesias-Pantín Santiago Iglesias Santiago Iglesias Pantín , a supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico, was the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the U.S...	Coalitionist Coalition (Puerto Rico) The Coalition was an electoral alliance in Puerto Rico.The Coalition was formed in 1924, composed of the Republican Party and the Socialist Party. It was generally in favor of statehood and is generally regarded as representing the interests of United States sugar corporations. It held a majority...	Socialist
1939–1945	Bolívar Pagán Bolívar Pagán Bolívar Pagán,, was a distinguished historian, journalist, and politician.Pagán was born in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. He received his primary education in the public schools of Adjuntas, and went to secondary school in the city of Ponce...	Coalitionist	Socialist
1945–1946	Jesús T. Piñero Jesus T. Piñero Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez was the first native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States.-Early years:...	Popular Democratic Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....	Democratic
1946–1965	Antonio Fernós-Isern Antonio Fernós-Isern Dr. Antonio Fernós-Isern was the first Puerto Rican cardiologist and its longest serving resident commissioner.-Early years:...	Popular Democratic	Democratic
1965–1969	Santiago Polanco-Abreú Santiago Polanco Abreu Santiago Polanco-Abreu was a Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Polanco-Abreu attended elementary and high schools in Isabela, Puerto Rico....	Popular Democratic	Democratic
1969–1973	Jorge Luis Córdova-Díaz Jorge Luis Córdova Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz served as Puerto Rico's eleventh Resident Commissioner. His father, Félix Córdova Dávila, had served as Puerto Rico's fourth Resident Commissioner from 1917 to 1932....	New Progressive New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...	Republican
1973–1977	Jaime Benítez Jaime Benitez Jaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...	Popular Democratic	Democratic
1977–1985	Baltasar Corrada-Del Río Baltasar Corrada del Río Baltasar Corrada del Río is a former politician from Puerto Rico. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner , Mayor of the capital city of San Juan , Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State and...	New Progressive	Democratic
1985–1992	Jaime Fuster Jaime Fuster Jaime B. Fuster Berlingeri was a politician who served as an Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico...	Popular Democratic	Democratic
1992–1993	Antonio Colorado Antonio Colorado Antonio J. Colorado Laguna is a lawyer and politician from New York City, U.S.. He served as Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico for the administration of Rafael Hernández Colón.-Biography:...	Popular Democratic	Democratic
1993–2001	Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...	New Progressive	Democratic
2001–2005	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...	Popular Democratic	Democratic
2005–2009	Luis Fortuño Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...	New Progressive	Republican
2009-present	Pedro Pierluisi Pedro Pierluisi Pedro R. Pierluisi Urrutia is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Democratic Party...	New Progressive	Democratic

List of Resident Commissioners

See also