List of Governors of Puerto Rico

This list of governors of Puerto Rico includes all persons who have held that post, either under Spanish or American rule. The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The position was first established by the Spanish Empire during the 16th century following the island's colonisation.

The first person to officially occupy the position was Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León on 1508. At the time, the Spanish monarchy was responsible for appointing the functionary who would perform this office. The first native Puerto Rican to perform the function was Juan Ponce de León II, as interim governor in 1597. During this administration, all of those appointed to take the position had served another function within the empire's government or the Roman Catholic Church. In 1898, the United States invaded Puerto Rico and the Spanish government ceded control of the island to the United States. During the first two years, the entire government in Puerto Rico was appointed by the President of the United States. In 1900, the American government approved the establishment of the Foraker Act as a federal law, this act established a civilian government in the island. In 1952, the Constitution of Puerto Rico was established, which created a new system where the governor is elected through a democratic process every four years. The governor is in charge of Puerto Rico's executive branch and is responsible for selecting a number of secretaries that administrate the government's branches.

History

When the Spanish Empire colonized Puerto Rico during the 16th century, the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León established himself as the island's first governor replacing Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, who was appointed to take the position of Captain General of the City of Puerto Rico prior to the island's colonization but never performed this function. [cite web| url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbpr:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbpr08353div10))| title=Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age| publisher=Library of Congress| accessdate=2007-09-23] During this time period, the Spanish monarchy was in charge of appointing the governor of Puerto Rico, the person selected was in charge of the island's development and wealth and was responsible for reporting the colony's status to the Spanish Empire. After 1580 the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was established, and the office of captain general was added to the governor.

On July 25, 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States when, following a brief armed conflict, the United States Army landed at Guánica. Following the conclusion of the war, Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines and Guam, to the United States under the 1898 Treaty of Paris. [cite web| url=http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/spain/sp1898.htm| title=Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain| publisher=Yale University| accessdate=2007-09-23] Puerto Rico began the twentieth century under the military rule of the United States with officials, including the governor, who were appointed by the President of the United States. In 1900, William McKinley approved the establishment of the Foraker Act as a United States federal law, this established civilian (limited popular) government on Puerto Rico.cite web|url=http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/foraker.html| title=Foraker Act (Organic Act of 1900)| publisher=Library of Congress| accessdate=2007-09-23] The new government had a governor and an executive council appointed by the President, a House of Representatives with 35 elected members, a judicial system with a Supreme Court, and a non-voting Resident Commissioner in Congress. The first civil governor of the island under the Foraker Act was Charles Herbert Allen. This system was still used after the approval of the Jones-Shafroth Act, which altered the structure of government in Puerto Rico, and was in use until 1948.

Following the institution of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952, the governor has been elected through a democratic process that is performed every four years.cite web| url=http://www.gobierno.pr/GPRPortal/Inicio/RamaEjecutiva/| title=Rama Ejecutiva| language=Spanish| publisher=Gobierno del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico| accessdate=2007-09-23] Under this system, the governor is in charge of the island's executive branch. In these elections, every person must vote for one of several candidates, each one of which represents a political party (currently consisting of New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican Independence Party, Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party) following the elective process the votes are counted and the candidate who gathers the majority of votes is named interim governor until he officializes his public position in an official oath ceremony.

In the governor's absence, or if the governor dies or is unable to perform the executive duties, the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico takes control of the executive position. The elected governor must designate a number of secretaries that will control the individual administrative agencies during his time in office, the selected secretaries are in charge of the island's health, natural resources, economy, correctional and judicial agencies and the department of consumer concerns. The mandatory time in office is four years, with the interim governor's time in office beginning following the official oath ceremony which is traditionally held on January 2 after the national holiday granted because of the celebration of New Year's Eve.

List of Governors of Puerto Rico

Governors under Spanish Crown

Governors under the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

See also

* Politics of Puerto Rico
* Politics of the United States
* Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico

References

External links

* [http://worldstatesmen.org/Puerto_Rico.html List of Puerto Rico Governors on WorldStatesmen.org]