Romero-Barceló, Carlos, 1932-2021

Carlos Antonio Romero-Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician. A member of the New Progressive Party, he notably served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985 and as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he moved to New Hampshire to attend Phillips Exeter Academy; following his graduation there, he earned a B.A. from Yale University and a LL.B. from the University of Puerto Rico Law School. Romero-Barceló became a licensed lawyer in 1956. Romero-Barceló started his political career as the director of the pro-statehood group Citizens for State 51. From 1965 to 1967, he worked his way up to the PNP leadership. Only 36 years old, but increasingly popular, he successfully ran for mayor of San Juan in 1968. As mayor, Romero-Barceló modernized the city’s waste disposal services, and he worked to combat drug addiction and poor housing in San Juan. His tenure as mayor made him a household name, and in 1976 the PNP picked him as its gubernatorial candidate and Romero-Barceló rode a wave of anti-incumbent frustration to a convincing victory in the general election. Romero-Barceló made statehood a pillar of his administration. The governor had long viewed the island’s commonwealth status as a deliberately nebulous concept that was little more than an outdated “interim compromise." After narrowly winning re-election in 1980, he lost his bid for a third term in 1984.

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