Polanco Abreu, Santiago, 1920-1988

Santiago Polanco Abreu (October 30, 1920 – January 18, 1988) was a Puerto Rican politician. He notably served as the 10th Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969.

Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Polanco Abreu attended elementary and high schools in Isabela, Puerto Rico before earning a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Puerto Rico. He was admitted to the bar in 1943 and practiced law in Isabela and San Juan. Polanco Abreu served as legal adviser to the Tax Court of Puerto Rico from 1943 to 1944 and was one of the founders of the Institute for Democratic Studies in San José, Costa Rica. He served in the Puerto Rican House of Representatives from 1949 to 1964, serving as speaker of the house from 1963 to 1964. He served as member of the Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico in 1951 and 1952.

Polanco Abreu was elected as a Popular Democrat to be Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States Congress on November 3, 1964, for the term ending January 3, 1969. He sat on committees with jurisdictions relevant to Puerto Rico’s major legislative concerns—Agriculture, Armed Services, and Interior and Insular Affairs—and although he supported President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs, Polanco Abreu was limited to a supporting role because of his inability to vote. Polaco Abreu was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1968 and resumed the practice of law. Polanco Abreu was a resident of San Juan, Puerto Rico, until his death there on January 18, 1988. He was interred at the Isabela Municipal Cemetery in Isabela, Puerto Rico.