Albert L. Myer
Encyclopedia
Major
Albert L. Myer was Mayor
of Ponce, Puerto Rico
in 1899. He is best remembered for having filled as interim
mayor of Ponce after the forced resignation of popularly-elected mayor Luis Porrata Doria
. Major Myer was appointed by the first military governor of Puerto Rico, Major General Nelson A. Miles
.
had invaded the island and installed a military central government based in San Juan
. General Nelson A. Miles had been installed by the President of the United States
as the first American
military governor of the Island, and Francisco Porrata Doria
had been elected mayor by the people of Ponce as was the custom for many decades under the old Spanish
system.
San Ciriaco, however, proved to be the test of the mayorship of Porrata Doria. As a result of the impact of the hurricane, a number of demonstrations took place around the island to denounce the municipal government’s poor response to the disaster. “The most serious demonstration of tension took place in Ponce, where damage and mortality had been extensive, especially for the poor. A large crowd of several hundred indigent residents gathered to denounce mayor Porrata Doria for not giving the population adequate warning or taking appropriate measures. A detachment
of the U.S. Fifth Cavalry broke up the demonstrations, but the mayor was eventually forced to resign.”
At this point the military governor, General Miles, appointed as interim mayor of Ponce the U.S. military commanding officer for Ponce, Major Albert L. Myer. Major Myer did not, as intended, perform all the functions of the mayor. Instead he assumed only some of the authority of the municipal government. Despite the mayoral change, however, tensions remained high, with the blame being placed back and forth on various factions.
In 1900, Major Myer was replaced by popularly-elected civil mayor Pedro Juan Rosaly
.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Albert L. Myer was Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
in 1899. He is best remembered for having filled as interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
mayor of Ponce after the forced resignation of popularly-elected mayor Luis Porrata Doria
Luis Porrata Doria
Luis Porrata Doria was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1899. He is best remembered for his forced resignation as mayor following his municipal government’s poor response to the catastrophic Category 5 San Ciriaco hurricane that occurred during his administration.-Circumstances leading to Porrata...
. Major Myer was appointed by the first military governor of Puerto Rico, Major General Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
.
Circumstances leading to Myer’s taking office
A devastating hurricane, called San Ciriaco, had hit the southern coast of Puerto Rico on August 8, 1899. A year earlier the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had invaded the island and installed a military central government based in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. General Nelson A. Miles had been installed by the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
as the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military governor of the Island, and Francisco Porrata Doria
Francisco Porrata Doria
Francisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...
had been elected mayor by the people of Ponce as was the custom for many decades under the old Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
system.
San Ciriaco, however, proved to be the test of the mayorship of Porrata Doria. As a result of the impact of the hurricane, a number of demonstrations took place around the island to denounce the municipal government’s poor response to the disaster. “The most serious demonstration of tension took place in Ponce, where damage and mortality had been extensive, especially for the poor. A large crowd of several hundred indigent residents gathered to denounce mayor Porrata Doria for not giving the population adequate warning or taking appropriate measures. A detachment
Detachment
Detachment, also expressed as non-attachment, is a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective.-Importance of the term:...
of the U.S. Fifth Cavalry broke up the demonstrations, but the mayor was eventually forced to resign.”
At this point the military governor, General Miles, appointed as interim mayor of Ponce the U.S. military commanding officer for Ponce, Major Albert L. Myer. Major Myer did not, as intended, perform all the functions of the mayor. Instead he assumed only some of the authority of the municipal government. Despite the mayoral change, however, tensions remained high, with the blame being placed back and forth on various factions.
In 1900, Major Myer was replaced by popularly-elected civil mayor Pedro Juan Rosaly
Pedro Juan Rosaly
-Hacendado and homeonwer:Pedro Juan Rosaly is best remembered for having a magnificent residence built at the corner of Villa and Mendez Vigo streets by renowned architect Manuel V...
.
See also
- Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto RicoPonce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
- List of famous Puerto Ricans