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

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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.

In 1938, Piñero was one of the founders, along with Luis Muñoz Marín, of the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD). In the elections of 1940, he was elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. In 1944 he was elected as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, and represented the island in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Piñero pursued a variety of legislative interests. His main goals were to secure economic aid for the island and to pursue Luis Muñoz Marín’s initiative of gaining greater autonomy by advocating for a plebiscite that would determine whether Puerto Rico would become an independent country or part of the United States.

In 1946, President Harry S. Truman relieved Governor Rexford Guy Tugwell, who had served in this position from 1941, and named Piñero as governor in his place, the first native Puerto Rican appointed to that post under U.S. administration. Piñero served as governor until 1949, when Puerto Rico celebrated its first popular election for the position, in which Muñoz Marín was elected governor. During Piñero's administration, legislation was passed that later served as the basis for the economic development plan known as Operation Bootstrap. Plans for the construction of a new international airport for the Island were also drawn up during his governorship. From 1947 to 1951, Piñero served as U.S. representative to the Caribbean Commission. He died on November 19, 1952 in the town of Loíza, and was buried at the Carolina Municipal Cemetery in his hometown, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Camacho Souza, Blase, 1918-. Papers, 1899- 2003 ; bulk: 1970-2002. Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Camacho Souza, Blase, 1918- person
memberOf Puerto Rico. Asamblea Legislativa. Cámara de Representantes. corporateBody
associatedWith Puerto Rico. Governor corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. House person
almaMaterOf University of Pennsylvania. corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Puerto Rico. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Baltimore MD US
Carolina 031 PR
Loíza 087 PR
San Juan 127 PR
Philadelphia PA US
Subject
Occupation
Dairy farmers
Governors
Landowners
Planter
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Activity

Person

Birth 1897-04-06

Death 1952-11-16

Male

Spaniards,

Puerto Ricans,

Americans

English,

Spanish; Castilian

Information

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