The Antillian island of Puerto Rico (Ind.: Borinken) became a Spanish dependency
in 1509.
It was granted internal autonomy in 1897.
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SPANISH ADMINISTRATORS
Capitains General
Capitanes Generales
1870 - 1871 LtGen. Gabriel Baldrich i Palau 1814 - 1885
1871 - 1872 Gen. Ramón Gómez Pulido
1872 Gen. Simón de la Torre
1872 - 1873 Brig. Joaquín Enrile Hernán*
1873 Gen. Juan Martínez Plowes
1873 - 1874 Gen. Rafael Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte
1874 - 1875 Gen. José Laureano Sanz y Posse (2x) 1822 - 1898
1875 - 1877 Gen. Segundo de la Portilla Gutiérrez
1877 - 1878 Gen. Manuel de la Serna Hernández y
Pinzón, Marqués de Irún
1878 Gen. José Gamir Maladeñ*
1878 - 1881 Gen. Eulogio Despujol y Dussay,
Conde de Caspe
1881 - 1882 Gen. Segundo de la Portilla Gutiérrez (2x)
1882 - 1884 Gen. Miguel de la Vega Inclán
1884 Carlos Suances Campos*
1884 Gen. Ramón Fajardo Izquierdo*
1884 Carlos Suances Campos* (2x)
1884 - 1887 Gen. Luis Dabán y Ramírez de Arellano
1887 Gen. Juan Contreras Martínez*
1887 Gen. Romualdo Palacios González
1887 - 1888 Gen. Juan Contreras Martínez* (2x)
1888 - 1890 Gen. Pedro Ruiz Dana
1890 Brig. José Pascual Bonanza*
1890 - 1893 Gen. José Lasso y Pérez
1893 - 1895 Gen. Antonio Dabán y Ramirez de Arellano
1895 - 1896 Gen. José Gamir
1896 Gen. Emilio March*
1896 - 1898 Gen. Sabás Marín González
1898 Gen. Ricardo de Ortega y Diez* 1838 - 1917
1898 LtGen. Andrés González Muñoz (died
the day of his inauguration) 1840 - 1898
1898 Gen. Ricardo de Ortega y Diez* (2x)
1898 LtGen. Manuel Macías y Casado 1845 - 1937
1898 Gen. Ricardo de Ortega y Diez* (3x)
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MINISTERS
Presidents of the Cabinet
Presidentes del Gabinete
1898 Francisco Mariano Quiñones 1830 - 1908
1898 - 1899 Luis Muñoz Rivera 1859 - 1916
U.S. TERRITORY OF PUERTO RICO
In 1898 Puerto Rico was occupied by U.S. forces. It was formally ceded by Spain by
the Treaty of Paris of the same year. (1)
At first under direct U.S. rule the island was given some kind of autonomy in 1917.
(1) Between 1898 - 1932 the official name of the island was Porto Rico.
This name was at first unformally used - for some linguistic reason - by U.S.
Navy personnel. It received a formal recognition when it was also used in the
Treaty of Paris.
In 1932 the Puerto Ricans persuaded the U.S. Congress to restore the original
name.
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U.S. ADMINISTRATORS
Commander of the U.S. troops in Puerto Rico
1898 Gen. Nelson Appleton Miles 1839 - 1925
Governors - Gobernadores
(Military governors subordinated to the War Department until 1900; Civil Governors
subordinated to the War department until 1935, to the Department of the Interior
1935 - 1952)
1898 MajGen. John Ruller Brooke 1838 - 1926
1898 - 1899 MajGen. Guy Vernor Henry 1839 - 1899
1899 - 1900 Brig. George Whitefield Davis 1839 - 1918
1900 - 1901 Charles Herbert Allen 1848 - 1934
1901 - 1904 William Henry Hunt 1857 - 1949
1904 - 1907 Beekman Winthrop 1874 - 1940
1907 - 1909 Regis Henry Prost 1870 - 1944
1909 - 1913 George Radcliffe Colton 1866 - 1916
1913 - 1921 Arthur Yager 1857 - 1941
1921 José E. Benedicto*
1921 - 1923 Emmet Montgomery Reily 1866 - 1954
1923 Juan Bernardo Huyke* 1880 - 1961
1923 - 1929 Horace Mann Towner 1855 - 1937
1929 James R. Beverly*
1929 - 1932 Col. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. 1887 - 1944
1932 - 1933 James R. Beverly* (2x)
1933 - 1934 Robert Hayes Gore 1886 - 1972
1934 Benjamin Jason Horton* 1873 - 194.
1934 - 1939 Gen. Blanton C. Winship 1869 - 1947
1939 José E. Colón*
1939 - 1940 Adm. William Daniel Leahy 1875 - 1959
1940 - 1941 José Miguel Gallardo* 1897 -
1941 Guy J. Swope* 1892 - 1969
1941 José Miguel Gallardo* (2x)
1941 - 1946 Rexford Guy Tugwell 1891 - 1979
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Part of Puerto Rico were two of the Virgin Islands : Culebra and Vieques.
Although the Spanish formally considered them as part of their possessions since
the early 16th century, it was only in the course of the 19th century that Spanish
authority was really established.
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CULEBRA
Culebra was one of the last refuges of the indigenous Taíno after the
Spanish conquest of the region. When they were expelled to other islands, Culebra
remained uninhabited, being only occasionally visited by fishermen from different
nations.
In 1880 - after a first (failed) attempt to impose some kind of formal Spanish
administration in 1874-1875 - it was annexed to Puerto Rico.
It was a dependency (1880-1902) and part (1902-1917) of Vieques, before becoming a
separate Island Municipality.
In 1902 the U.S. Navy established a small permanent camp on the island, which later,
also was used as a training ground by the U.S. Marines (1903-1941) and as a firing
range by the U.S. Navy (since 1935)
Governor
Gobernador
1874 - 1875 ... Stevens 1... - 1875
Delegates
Delegados
1880 - 18.. Cayetano Escudero Sanz
1891 - 1892 Florentino Flaile Moscat
1893 - 1894 Ramiro Matute de Tejada
1895 - 1896 Antonio Moreno y Ramirez
1897 - 1898 Manuel Vazquez Alayon
1899 - 1905 Leopoldo Padron Rivera
1906 - 1912 Pedro Marquez Morales
1913 - 1916 Alejandro Marquez Laureano
1917 - 1918 Francisco Buso Jr.
1919 Manuel Janer Soler
1919 - 1920 Manuel D. Marquez Laureano
1921 - 1929 Claro C. Feliciano Padron
Mayors
Alcaldes
1930 - 1931 Pedro Ortiz
1932 - 1933 Jesús Maria Ortiz
1934 - 1940 Claro C. Feliciano Padron s.a.
1941 - 1945 Charles Fischbach Collazo
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VIEQUES
Like Culebra, Vieques formally became a Spanish possession after the defeat of the
last Taino chiefs.
Real Spanish authority over the island - later also claimed by the British, Danish
and French - remained at first however very limited and it was only in 1811 that a
regular Spanish administration was established.
Vieques was annexed to Puerto Rico in 1854, becoming an Island Municipality.
In 1941-1943 the U.S. Navy bought nearly 2/3 of the island area to serve as a depot
and a training ground.
As a result the civil area was reduced to a minor zone in the center of the island
Mayors
Alcaldes
(it's not impossible that the first listed still had the rank of Governor)
1870 - 187. Luis de Pratts
1871 Tomas Font
1871 Juan Campos
1871 Federico Marangues y Chavar
1872 - 187. Cayetano Bola y Carbonell
1874 - 18.. Juan Lujan
1898 Luis Garcia Alpuente
1898 - 1899 José A. Diaz
1899 - 1902 Leopoldo Venegas
1902 - 1910 Luis Amedee Bonet
1910 - 191. Victor Duteil
1914 - 19.. Carlos Benitez
1920 - 1928 Zoilo Benitez Castano
1928 - 1932 Miguel Simons
1932 - 1933 Diego Melendez
1933 Juan Bermudez
1933 - 1936 Aureo Diaz
1936 - 1943 Leoncio T. Davis
1944 - 1948 Antonio Avila
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