Larrínaga, Tulio, 1847-1917

LARRÍNAGA, Tulio, a Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico; born in Trujillo Alto, P.R., January 15, 1847; attended the Seminario Consiliar of San Ildefonso at San Juan, P.R.; studied civil engineering in the Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1871; practiced his profession for some time in the United States; returned to Puerto Rico in 1872 and was appointed architect for the city of San Juan; built the first railroad in Puerto Rico in 1880 and introduced American rolling stock on the island; was for ten years chief engineer of the provincial works; in 1898 was appointed assistant secretary of the interior under the autonomic government and in 1900 was sent by his party as a delegate to Washington; member of the house of delegates for the district of Arecibo in 1902; elected as a Unionist Resident Commissioner to the United States in 1904; reelected in 1906 and 1908 and served from March 4, 1905, until March 3, 1911; delegate from the United States to the Third Pan American Congress at Rio de Janeiro in 1906; member of the executive council of Puerto Rico in 1911; resumed the practice of his profession as a civil engineer in San Juan, P.R., and died there on April 28, 1917; interment in the Municipal Cemetery at Santurce.

<p>Tulio Larrínaga (January 15, 1847 – April 28, 1917) was a Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.</p>

<p>Born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Larrínaga attended the Seminario Consiliar of San Ildefonso at San Juan, Puerto Rico. He studied civil engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and, in 1871, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.</p>

<p>Larrínaga practiced his profession in the United States for some time, returning to Puerto Rico in 1872 where he was appointed architect for the city of San Juan. In 1880, Larrínaga built the first railroad in Puerto Rico and introduced American rolling stock onto the island. For ten years he was the chief engineer of the Provincial Works.</p>

<p>An engineer by training, Tulio Larrínaga, Puerto Rico’s second Resident Commissioner in Congress moved into politics when Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory. Like his predecessor, Federico Degetau, Larrínaga used the Resident Commissioner’s ministerial powers and his own political savvy to encourage and cajole U.S. politicians to reform the island’s civil government. In particular, Larrínaga sought to modify or eliminate aspects of the Foraker Act that infringed on Puerto Ricans’ popular sovereignty and limited the Resident Commissioner’s ability to represent constituents. “Everybody on the floor of this House knows that it is only due to the courtesy of the Committee on Rules … not by any law of Congress, that the Commissioner from Porto Rico is allowed the privilege of the floor,” Larrínaga declared.</p>

<p>Tulio Larrínaga y Torres Vallejo was born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, on January 15, 1847. He attended the Seminario Conciliar de San Ildefonso in San Juan. Larrínaga studied civil engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, from 1865 to 1868 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1871. Among Larrínaga’s projects were the preparation of a topographical map of Kings County, New York, and his work for an engineering firm involved in the construction of Grand Central Station in New York City. Returning to Puerto Rico in 1872, Larrínaga served as a municipal architect of San Juan. He also helped found Ateneo Puertorriqueño (the Puerto Rican Arts and Sciences Association) in 1876 and served as the head of the English department in the cultural center. He was a member of the Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Nation and the insular library commission. In 1879 Larrínaga married Berthy Goyro Saint Victor. The couple raised Tulio, Jr.; Berta; Concepción; and two other children.</p>

<p>Larrínaga is credited with building the first railroad in Puerto Rico—a short line that ran from San Juan several miles south to Rio Piedras—and with introducing American rolling stock to the island. He served for 10 years as an engineer of the Provincial Deputation, working extensively on the construction of San Juan Harbor and on roads elsewhere on the island. He also directed the works of the 1893 Puerto Rico exposition as a member of its jury. Cayetano Coll y Toste, a prominent historian and writer, observes that Larrínaga’s engineering successes benefited from his ability to maneuver in political circles, reminiscing that he was “able to gain the good will of Unconditional Party leader Pablo Ubarri, who exercised great influence over the island administration.” “One can go far with friends in high places,” he added. Larrínaga first became involved in politics when Puerto Rico achieved autonomy from Spain in 1897, joining the Partido Liberal de Puerto Rico (Liberal Reform Party of Puerto Rico). When Puerto Rico came under American governance in 1898, Larrínaga served as the subsecretary of public works and as assistant secretary of the interior under the autonomous government.</p>