Piñero, Jesús T. (Jesús Toribio), 1897-1952

Jesús T. Piñero Jiménez (April 16, 1897 – November 19, 1952) was a Puerto Rican landowner and politician. He notably served as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1945 to 1946 and as the first and only native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States, serving in that role from 1946 to 1949.

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he obtained his primary and secondary education in his hometown, attended the College of Liberal Arts of the University of Puerto Rico, and the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Between 1920 and 1944, Piñero's interest in agriculture kept him engaged in the dairy business and in the cultivation of sugar cane. His interest in the agricultural development of Puerto Rico led him to participate in politics, particularly those concerning the issues of the cultivation of sugar cane and development of the industry. Between 1928 and 1932, a period during which Puerto Rico's internal government was still run by continental Americans appointed by the President of the United States, Piñero was president of the Assembly of the Municipality of Carolina. Between 1934 and 1937, he was the president of the Association of the Sugar Cane Industry and was elected to the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.

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