Gilberto Concepción de Gracia
Encyclopedia
Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia (July 9, 1909 – March 16, 1968) was a lawyer
, journalist
, author, politician
and founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
.
. There he attended José de Diego
elementary school in his hometown of Vega Alta and "Central High School" in Santurce
, a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico
. After he graduated from high school, he continued his academic education studies and earned a bachelors and later masters degree in Law
and Public Administration
from the University of Puerto Rico
. He earned a doctorate
in Law
from George Washington University
in Washington, D.C.
to represent Pedro Albizu Campos
and other members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
, who were at the time were jailed and appealing their case.
Concepción de Gracia remained in New York, defending the civil rights of Hispanic
workers and other minorities. He became more involved in politics, and particularly the cause of Puerto Rican independence from the United States. He befriended the like-minded congressman Vito Marcantonio
, and took the editorship of a newspaper called La Voz
("The Voice").
in Vermont
. He then moved to Washington, D.C.
and worked at the Panamerican Union, the organization which would later be known as the Organization of American States
. In 1943, while he continued to pursue his Law education, Concepcion de Gracia joined a group called the 'Congress for Independence', which advocated the independence of Puerto Rico.
(Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, or PIP) was created with Concepción de Gracia as its president. The PIP was registered as an official political party
in 1948 and participated in that year's elections. It became the second-largest party in Puerto Rico in 1952, when it captured 20% of the electoral vote. Fifteen (15) PIP members were elected to the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
that year. Concepcion de Gracia himself joined the Senate of Puerto Rico
, and became the speaker for his party, a post which he held until 1960.
That year, the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
(PPD) won the governorship and created a political status known as the Associated Free State (Estado Libre Asociado, or ELA). Concepcion de Gracia claimed that the new status was only a deceptive way to hide and continue the colonial relationship with the U.S.
On July 25, 1952, Puerto Rico adopted a constitution
establishing its status as a commonwealth. Concepción de Gracia and the PIP considered this status to be just another name for colonialism, and did not participate in the Constitutional Assembly
.
and sustained that Puerto Ricans should have the right to a consultation before being sent to any war. He also protested the sterilization practices in the U.S. of Puerto Ricans and the passive immigration of Puerto Ricans to the U.S.
In 1955 he represented Puerto Rico in a conference held in Bandung
, Indonesia
sponsored by the United Nations
. He also represented the PIP at the 1949 conference of the Organization of American States
held in Havana
, Cuba
, and at the 1957 conference in Maracay
, Venezuela
. In 1964 he represented the PIP at a United States Congress
commission on Puerto Rico's political status. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia died on March 15, 1968 in Santurce, Puerto Rico.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
.
Early years
Concepción de Gracia was born in the town of Vega Alta, Puerto RicoVega Alta, Puerto Rico
Vega Alta is a municipality of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is located on the northern coast of the island, north of Morovis and Corozal; east of Vega Baja; and west of Dorado with an area of . Vega Alta is spread over seven wards and Vega Alta Pueblo...
. There he attended José de Diego
José de Diego
José de Diego y Martínez , known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement", was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and from the United States....
elementary school in his hometown of Vega Alta and "Central High School" in Santurce
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
, a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico
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...
. After he graduated from high school, he continued his academic education studies and earned a bachelors and later masters degree in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and Public Administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
from the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. He earned a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Career as a lawyer
Concepción de Gracia worked as a lawyer specializing in civil and constitutional law. In 1936, at the age of 25, he moved to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to represent Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
and other members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
, who were at the time were jailed and appealing their case.
Concepción de Gracia remained in New York, defending the civil rights of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
workers and other minorities. He became more involved in politics, and particularly the cause of Puerto Rican independence from the United States. He befriended the like-minded congressman Vito Marcantonio
Vito Marcantonio
Vito Anthony Marcantonio was an American lawyer and democratic socialist politician. Originally a member of the Republican Party and a supporter of Fiorello LaGuardia, he switched to the American Labor Party.-Early life:...
, and took the editorship of a newspaper called La Voz
La Voz
Many media outlets use the name La Voz , including:;Argentina*La Voz del Interior ;Dominican Republic*La Voz Dominicana ;Mexico*La Voz de Michoacán ;Spain...
("The Voice").
Educator
Concepción de Gracia later became a professor of Hispanic literature at Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He then moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and worked at the Panamerican Union, the organization which would later be known as the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
. In 1943, while he continued to pursue his Law education, Concepcion de Gracia joined a group called the 'Congress for Independence', which advocated the independence of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rican Independence Party
On October 20, 1946, the Puerto Rican Independence PartyPuerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
(Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, or PIP) was created with Concepción de Gracia as its president. The PIP was registered as an official political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in 1948 and participated in that year's elections. It became the second-largest party in Puerto Rico in 1952, when it captured 20% of the electoral vote. Fifteen (15) PIP members were elected to the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...
that year. Concepcion de Gracia himself joined the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
, and became the speaker for his party, a post which he held until 1960.
That year, the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
(PPD) won the governorship and created a political status known as the Associated Free State (Estado Libre Asociado, or ELA). Concepcion de Gracia claimed that the new status was only a deceptive way to hide and continue the colonial relationship with the U.S.
On July 25, 1952, Puerto Rico adopted a constitution
Constitution of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...
establishing its status as a commonwealth. Concepción de Gracia and the PIP considered this status to be just another name for colonialism, and did not participate in the Constitutional Assembly
Constitutional Assembly
The Constitutional Assembly was a body elected in 1955 to draw up a permanent constitution for the Republic of Indonesia. It sat between November 10, 1956 and July 2, 1959...
.
Puerto Rico before the United Nations
Concepción de Gracia and Julio Pinto Gandía took Puerto Rico's case before the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and sustained that Puerto Ricans should have the right to a consultation before being sent to any war. He also protested the sterilization practices in the U.S. of Puerto Ricans and the passive immigration of Puerto Ricans to the U.S.
In 1955 he represented Puerto Rico in a conference held in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
sponsored by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He also represented the PIP at the 1949 conference of the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
held in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and at the 1957 conference in Maracay
Maracay
Maracay is a city in north-central Venezuela, near the Caribbean coast, and is the capital and most important city of the state of Aragua. Most of it falls under the jurisdiction of the Girardot Municipality. The population as per the 2001 census was 750,000...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. In 1964 he represented the PIP at a United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
commission on Puerto Rico's political status. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia died on March 15, 1968 in Santurce, Puerto Rico.
In memory
Concepción de Gracia's name has been attached to many places in Puerto Rico, including the beach on the contested island of Vieques where the PIP established a camp in 1999 during the Navy-Vieques protests. His native town of Vega Alta erected a statue in his honor on the town's square.External links
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican Independence PartyPuerto Rican Independence PartyThe Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....