Santiago Iglesias
Encyclopedia
Santiago Iglesias Pantín (February 22, 1872 – December 5, 1939), a supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico, was the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
in the U.S. Congress from 1933 to 1939, a period that saw significant political turbulence in Puerto Rico, both by Puerto Ricans seeking more freedom and autonomy, and by the military governor in the Island, Blanton Winship, seeking to clamp down on those seeking autonomy and independence.
Iglesias was born in La Coruña, Galicia, Spain
, where he attended the common schools, and was apprenticed as a cabinet maker. At a young age he stowed away on a ship which landed in Cuba
. There he organized workers and, beginning in 1889 was secretary of the Workingmen Trades Circle in Havana
. Because of his organizing the island strongman forced him to leave the island.
Iglesias then moved to Puerto Rico
, and was the founder and editor
of three labor papers:
He was a very active labor organizer in Puerto Rico and was often arrested and jailed for his activities, and was considered American Federation of Labor
(AFL) president Samuel Gompers
' ally on the island. In fact, Gompers appointed him general organizer of the American Federation of Labor
for the districts of Puerto Rico and Cuba in 1901.
In 1915, he founded the Puerto Rico's Socialist Party
, a pro-statehood, pro-labor party (not to be confused with the Puerto Rican Socialist Party
founded in the 1970s). His Socialist Party, unlike its namesake, did elect its candidates to elective office during many elections.
He also served as secretary of the Pan American Federation of Labor from 1925 to 1933. In 1936, he was wounded during an assassination attempt by Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
partisans.
After losing a race in 1908 against Tulio Larrinaga
for Puerto Rico's non-voting delegate seat in the United States Congress
, Iglesias was elected as a Coalitionist
Resident Commissioner
on November 8, 1932, and was reelected in 1936 for the term ending January 3, 1941. He served in the 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 76th Congresses, from March 4, 1933 until his death.
in 1917, and reelected several times, until his election to Congress in 1932.
He pushed for many social reforms, many of which did not become law, either as part of the PDP
's reform agenda in the 1940s or as part of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952.
He was able to have Puerto Rico included in many New Deal
assistance programs, including road construction, the
Bankhead-Jones Act that enabled agricultural experimentation, the fight against malaria
and the Jones Act
exclusion regarding the taxation of shipping between Puerto Rico and other U.S. ports.
In Congress, he served on the Insular Affairs, Agriculture, and Labor committees.
and career military officer Edward Iglesias.
He died in office in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1939 and was interred in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
.
there is a government housing development named in his honor.
A plaza named after him, and located on the south side of the Puerto Rico Capitol complex, has a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of him , as well as several plaques, all designed by Puerto Rican sculptor José Buscaglia Guillermety
. It is the venue for the official Labor Day
ceremonies every year.
As recently as May, 2010, new books about his life and legacy were still being written and published, the most recent Santiago Iglesias Pantín-Un político circunstancial gallego en Puerto Rico by Manuel Mourelle de Lema, a professor at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid and founder and president of the Galician Cultural Group in the Spanish capital.
Approximately 200,000 people are said to have filed by his casket when he lay in state at the Puerto Rico Capitol, after his remains were brought back from Washington, DC, for interment in Puerto Rico. Fifty thousand are said to have gridlocked the streets of Old San Juan during his funeral.
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
in the U.S. Congress from 1933 to 1939, a period that saw significant political turbulence in Puerto Rico, both by Puerto Ricans seeking more freedom and autonomy, and by the military governor in the Island, Blanton Winship, seeking to clamp down on those seeking autonomy and independence.
Iglesias was born in La Coruña, Galicia, 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 attended the common schools, and was apprenticed as a cabinet maker. At a young age he stowed away on a ship which landed in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. There he organized workers and, beginning in 1889 was secretary of the Workingmen Trades Circle in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. Because of his organizing the island strongman forced him to leave the island.
Iglesias then moved to 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...
, and was the founder and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of three labor papers:
- Porvenir Social (from 1898 to 1900)
- Union Obrera (from 1903 to 1906)
- Justicia (from 1914 to 1925)
He was a very active labor organizer in Puerto Rico and was often arrested and jailed for his activities, and was considered American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL) president Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
' ally on the island. In fact, Gompers appointed him general organizer of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
for the districts of Puerto Rico and Cuba in 1901.
In 1915, he founded the Puerto Rico's Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Puerto Rico)
The Socialist Party was a political party in Puerto Rico.It was founded as the Labor Party in 1900 by Santiago Iglesias Pantín, an early leader of the Puerto Rican labor movement who was influenced by the Socialist Labor Party of America. It was formally refounded as the PS on March 21, 1915, in...
, a pro-statehood, pro-labor party (not to be confused with the Puerto Rican Socialist Party
Puerto Rican Socialist Party
The Puerto Rican Socialist Party was a Marxist and pro-independence political party in Puerto Rico seeking the end of United States of America control on the Hispanic and Caribbean island...
founded in the 1970s). His Socialist Party, unlike its namesake, did elect its candidates to elective office during many elections.
He also served as secretary of the Pan American Federation of Labor from 1925 to 1933. In 1936, he was wounded during an assassination attempt by 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...
partisans.
After losing a race in 1908 against 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...
for Puerto Rico's non-voting delegate seat in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, Iglesias was elected as a 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...
Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...
on November 8, 1932, and was reelected in 1936 for the term ending January 3, 1941. He served in the 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 76th Congresses, from March 4, 1933 until his death.
Legislative record as a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Iglesias served as a member of the first Senate of Puerto RicoSenate 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...
in 1917, and reelected several times, until his election to Congress in 1932.
He pushed for many social reforms, many of which did not become law, either as part of the PDP
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....
's reform agenda in the 1940s or as part of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952.
Legislative record as Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives
Iglesias unsuccessfully pushed for legislation to enable Puerto Ricans to elect their own Governor, a concept that did not become law until 1947.He was able to have Puerto Rico included in many New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
assistance programs, including road construction, the
Bankhead-Jones Act that enabled agricultural experimentation, the fight against malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and 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...
exclusion regarding the taxation of shipping between Puerto Rico and other U.S. ports.
In Congress, he served on the Insular Affairs, Agriculture, and Labor committees.
Personal life
Married to Justa Pastora Bocanegra in 1902, he had three sons and eight daughters, including labor activist America Iglesias ThatcherAmerica Iglesias Thatcher
America Iglesias Thatcher was a Puerto-Rican-American labor activist and the daughter of Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner Santiago Iglesias....
and career military officer Edward Iglesias.
He died in office in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1939 and was interred in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under the auspices of Ignacio Mascaro. The cemetery is located outside...
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...
.
Legacy
In PoncePonce, 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...
there is a government housing development named in his honor.
A plaza named after him, and located on the south side of the Puerto Rico Capitol complex, has a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of him , as well as several plaques, all designed by Puerto Rican sculptor José Buscaglia Guillermety
Jose Buscaglia Guillermety
José Buscaglia Guillermety is an educator and sculptor.-Early years:Buscaglia was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico into a distinguished Puerto Rican family. His father Rafael was a very important and influential political figure within the ranks of The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico...
. It is the venue for the official Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
ceremonies every year.
As recently as May, 2010, new books about his life and legacy were still being written and published, the most recent Santiago Iglesias Pantín-Un político circunstancial gallego en Puerto Rico by Manuel Mourelle de Lema, a professor at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid and founder and president of the Galician Cultural Group in the Spanish capital.
Approximately 200,000 people are said to have filed by his casket when he lay in state at the Puerto Rico Capitol, after his remains were brought back from Washington, DC, for interment in Puerto Rico. Fifty thousand are said to have gridlocked the streets of Old San Juan during his funeral.