Luis Muñoz Rivera

Puerto Rican-born activist, politician, and writer

• Born: July 17, 1859
• Birthplace: Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
• Died: November 15, 1916
• Place of death: Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Muñoz Rivera was a major figure in the struggle for Puerto Rican political autonomy both before and after the Spanish-American War. As Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives, he was instrumental in the drafting of the Jones Act, which enhanced Puerto Rican political autonomy and granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship.

Early Life

Luis Muñoz Rivera (moon-YOHZ rih-VEH-ruh) was born to Luis Muñoz Berrios and Monserrate Rivera in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. After completing his primary education in 1869, Muñoz Rivera was educated at home by private tutors. He excelled at literature, French, and music. By the time he was an adolescent, he was working for his father’s business. Muñoz Rivera’s desire to study law at a Spanish university was stymied by his father, who wanted the young man to continue working for him.

During the 1880’s, Muñoz Rivera began to dedicate more time to writing. Previously interested in writing love poems, he began publishing essays and poems supporting political autonomy for Puerto Rico. His writings attracted the attention of the leaders of the Liberal Party, and Muñoz Rivera was invited to join their ranks despite his father’s close ties to the Conservative Party. In 1877, the Liberal Party held a meeting in Coamo to discuss the future of the party. Several members, including Muñoz Rivera, supported the creation of the Autonomist Party, which was dedicated to political autonomy for Puerto Rico within the Spanish Empire.

Life’s Work

Muñoz Rivera’s writings, many of which were directed at the masses, increased support for the Autonomist Party. The growing support for the Autonomist Party angered the Conservative Party and the colonial governor, who attempted to curtail the appeal of the Autonomists by closing newspapers that published pro-Autonomist essays and articles. In 1890, Muñoz Rivera founded La democracía, a pro-Autonomist newspaper. Because of his political articles, Muñoz Rivera was arrested and released only after his father paid a substantial bond.

In 1893, Muñoz Rivera went to Spain to form a political alliance with Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, the leader of Spain’s Liberal Party. Sagasta promised Muñoz Rivera that he would support political autonomy for Puerto Rico if his party came into power. When he returned to Puerto Rico, Muñoz Rivera helped draft the Plan de Ponce, which detailed the plan for Puerto Rican autonomy. In 1897, after Sagasta was elected prime minister of Spain, he granted Puerto Rico political autonomy. Muñoz Rivera, who renamed the Autonomist Party the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, was selected to serve as the chief of the Puerto Rican cabinet. The experiment in political autonomy, however, was disrupted by the Spanish-American War.

In July, 1898, the United States military invaded Puerto Rico. Despite the belief held by many prominent members of the Liberal Party that the United States would allow the island to remain autonomous, Muñoz Rivera was skeptical. Unable to work with the new military government, he resigned from the cabinet on February 4, 1899. The U.S. military governor subsequently disbanded the cabinet and ended universal suffrage. The military government was replaced by civilian government following the passage of the Foraker Act in 1900. While providing for a unicameral House of Delegates, the Foraker Act curtailed the political autonomy that had been granted to Puerto Rico by Spain.

In 1901, Muñoz Rivera moved to New York City and established The Puerto Rican Herald, a bilingual newspaper advocating greater political autonomy for the island. In the newspaper’s first issue, he wrote an open letter to U.S. President William McKinley criticizing the Foraker Act.

Muñoz Rivera became a founding member of the Union of Puerto Rico Party and won a seat in Puerto Rico’s House of Delegates in 1904. He served until 1910, when he was elected Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives. Muñoz Rivera held that title from 1911 until his death in 1916. His conciliatory stance, which sought increased autonomy without independence and increased rights without statehood, earned him the political support of several members of Congress. In 1916, Muñoz Rivera, who suffered from gallbladder problems, returned to Puerto Rico, where he died.

Significance

Because of Muñoz Rivera’s efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives, on March 2, 1917, Congress passed the Jones Act, which granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans and created a bicameral legislative assembly elected by universal male suffrage. However, the executive and judicial branches of Puerto Rico’s government still were controlled by the United States. The quest for Puerto Rican political autonomy was continued by his son, Luis Muñoz Marín, who became Puerto Rico’s first democratically elected governor.

Bibliography

Davila, Arlene. Sponsored Identities: Cultural Politics in Puerto Rico. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997. Examines how local and transnational forces forge national identity.

Norris, Marianna. Father and Son for Freedom: The Story of Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Rivera and Luis Muñoz Marín. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1968. Excellent overview of the attempts to achieve political autonomy by both father and son.

Reynolds, Mack. Puerto Rican Patriot: The Life of Luis Muñoz Rivera. New York: Crowell-Collier Press, 1969. This well-documented biography, which makes copious use of Spanish-language sources, is an excellent starting point for further research.

Suárez Findlay, Eileen J. Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870-1920. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2000. Emphasizing the impact on the masses, the author exposes the race-related double standards of sexual norms and practices in Puerto Rico during the period that saw the shift from Spanish to American colonialism.