Juan Francisco Luis
Encyclopedia
Juan Francisco Luis was a U.S. Virgin Island politician
who served as the third elected Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the territory's 23rd Governor overall. Luis assumed the governorship on January 2, 1978, succeeding Governor Cyril King, who died in office. He held the governor's office from 1978 until 1987, becoming the longest serving Governor in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
. He moved with his family to Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands when he was two months old. In 1958, Luis graduated from the former Christiansted High School as his class' valedictorian
.
Luis studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
. He moved back to Saint Croix after college, where he took a position as a sixth-grade teacher at the Christiansted Public Grammar School. He also worked as a project office manager for the Department of Housing and Urban Development before serving as a in the U.S. Army.
Luis was honorable discharged from the U.S. Army in 1968, holding the rank of sergeant
. He returned to St. Croix after his discharge, where he married his wife, the former Luz Maria Guadalupe. He took a series of positions with in the civil service
and private sector
until his election to office in 1972. In 1968, Luis became a personnel administrative officer in the Virgin Islands Department of Health. Luis held several positions in the private sector from 1970 to 1972. He worked for Litwin Corporation as an industrial relations manager. Luis then joined Burns International as an accountant
. Finally, Luis was employed as a personnel manager and comptroller at the Estate Carlton Hotel.
Luis and his wife, former U.S. Virgin Islands First Lady
Luz Maria Luis, had two children, Juan Francisco Luis Jr. and Carlota Amalia.
, the territory's unicameral legislative body, in 1972, when he was 32 years old. He served one, two-year term as a Senator before seeking higher office in 1974.
for lieutenant governor
. King had founded the Independent Citizens Movement
(ICM) in the 1960s, so he and Luis ran for office as the nominees of the ICM. King and Luis were elected as Governor and Lt. Governor in a gubernatorial runoff election held in November 1974, defeating the Democratic
ticket of Alexander Farrelly and Ruby Rouss.
On February 21, 1978, Governor Luis appointed banker Henry Millin
, a Democrat, as his first lieutenant governor in an announcement broadcast on television and radio. Millin was sworn into office on March 10, 1978, at Government House on Saint Thomas
. Millin became Luis' running mate in the 1978 gubernatorial election in November. Luis chose to run for Governor as an independent candidate, dropping his previous political affiliation with the ICM in the election.
Governor Luis and Lt. Governor Millin were elected to a full four-year term on November 7, 1978. Luis defeated the Democratic ticket of Ron de Lugo
, the-then Delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. House of Representatives, and de Lugo's running mate, Senator Eric E. Dawson, in a tough election campaign. Luis won 10,978 votes, or 59.2%, while de Lugo placed second with 7,568 votes, or 40.8% of the total votes cast. Luis won all three major islands in the election, including a landslide win on Saint Croix.
Governor Luis and Lt. Governor Millin were inaugurated into a full, four-year term on Thursday, January 4, 1979, at a ceremony in Christiansted.
In 1982, Luis announced his campaign for re-election to a second full term. However, Lieutenant Governor Henry Millin chose to challenge Luis in the 1982 gubernatorial election. Luis needed a new running mate and he selected Julio Brady
to replace Millin on the ticket.
Luis was re-elected to a second term on November 2, 1982, in a five-candidate race. Luis and Brady came in first with 11,354 votes and were declared the winners of the election. His closest challenger, Lt. Governor Henry Millin, placed second with 4,143 votes. However, the election was challenged in court by fourteen Virgin Islands residents, who argued that blank and spoiled ballots should be counted, which would necessitate a runoff election. By law, a gubernatorial candidate in the U.S. Virgin Islands must garner more than 50% of vote to avoid a runoff. Luis would have fallen just short of 50% if blank and spoiled ballots were counted. A lower court in the Virgin Islands agreed with those arguing for a runoff and ordered the blank and spoiled ballots to be counted, which brought Luis below 50%. However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
in Philadelphia rejected the lower court ruling and allowed blank and spoiled ballots to be excluded, giving Luis an outright majority of the total votes cast. Thus, Luis won re-election to a second term without a runoff. Luis and Lt. Governor Julio Brady were sworn into a second term in January 1983.
Governor Luis created a new office, the federal programs coordinator, which worked to better coordinate federal funding and cultivate better relations with U.S. federal agencies, such as the Office of Insular Affairs. Luis is credited by many, including current Governor John de Jongh
, with the overhaul and creation of the U.S. Virgin Islands' present health care system
during his time in office. Luis successfully lobbied for federal funding which was used to construct most of the U.S. Virgin Islands modern hospitals, including the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on Saint Croix, the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on Saint John
and the Schneider Regional Medical Center on Saint Thomas
. In education, Luis abolished the practice of holding two separate sessions of school at the same school during the day.
Luis spearheaded the expansion of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on Saint Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport
on Saint Thomas. He also oversaw the construction of other infrastructure
projects, including the creation of a container terminal
on Saint Croix. The first desalination
plant was constructed by the V.I. Water and Power Authority during Luis' administration.
Governor Luis was also credited with launching the political careers of some of the U.S. Virgin Islands' most prominent politicians. They included former Senator Holland Redfield, whom he appointed to the Public Services Commission and encouraged to run for the Legislature in 1984, and Governor John de Jongh
, whom Luis nominated to the V.I. Industrial Development Commission, which launched de Jongh's career in public service.
Luis was barred from seeking a third consecutive term in the 1986 gubernatorial election due to term limits . He was succeeded by Alexander Farrelly on January 5, 1987.
Juan Francisco Luis was hospitalized at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on St. Croix on June 3, 2011. He died at the hospital on June 4, 2011, at the age of 70. His funeral mass was held at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Christiansted. Luis was buried at Kingshill Cemetery following a graveside service, which included a full military tribute by the Virgin Islands National Guard
.
Luis was survived by his wife, former First Lady Luz Maria Guadalupe Luis; their children, Carlotta Amalia Luis and Juan Francisco Luis Jr.; his sister, Lydia Cintron-Monell; and two brothers, Carlos Monell and Esteban Monell Jr.
Luis died less than a week after the passing of another U.S. Virgin Islands political figure, former Lt. Governor Derek Hodge
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served as the third elected Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the territory's 23rd Governor overall. Luis assumed the governorship on January 2, 1978, succeeding Governor Cyril King, who died in office. He held the governor's office from 1978 until 1987, becoming the longest serving Governor in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Early years
Luis was born in 1940 on the neighboring island of Vieques in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He moved with his family to Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands when he was two months old. In 1958, Luis graduated from the former Christiansted High School as his class' valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
.
Luis studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico —or Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in Spanish, and often referred as "Inter"— is a private university system in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1912 in San German, Puerto Rico. The University has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas,...
. He moved back to Saint Croix after college, where he took a position as a sixth-grade teacher at the Christiansted Public Grammar School. He also worked as a project office manager for the Department of Housing and Urban Development before serving as a in the U.S. Army.
Luis was honorable discharged from the U.S. Army in 1968, holding the rank of sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. He returned to St. Croix after his discharge, where he married his wife, the former Luz Maria Guadalupe. He took a series of positions with in the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
and private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
until his election to office in 1972. In 1968, Luis became a personnel administrative officer in the Virgin Islands Department of Health. Luis held several positions in the private sector from 1970 to 1972. He worked for Litwin Corporation as an industrial relations manager. Luis then joined Burns International as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
. Finally, Luis was employed as a personnel manager and comptroller at the Estate Carlton Hotel.
Luis and his wife, former U.S. Virgin Islands First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Luz Maria Luis, had two children, Juan Francisco Luis Jr. and Carlota Amalia.
Political career
Luis was elected to the 10th Legislature of the Virgin IslandsLegislature of the Virgin Islands
The Legislature of the Virgin Islands is the territorial legislature of the United States Virgin Islands. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of 15 senators, elected to two-year terms without term limits. The territorial...
, the territory's unicameral legislative body, in 1972, when he was 32 years old. He served one, two-year term as a Senator before seeking higher office in 1974.
Lieutenant Governor
In 1974, two years after his election to the Legislature, gubernatorial candidate Cyril King persuaded Luis to join his ticket as his running mateRunning mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
. King had founded the Independent Citizens Movement
Independent Citizens Movement
The Independent Citizens Movement is a conservative political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands that was founded by Virdin C. Brown and Steve O'Reilly in 1968. Its symbol is the torch.- Early history:...
(ICM) in the 1960s, so he and Luis ran for office as the nominees of the ICM. King and Luis were elected as Governor and Lt. Governor in a gubernatorial runoff election held in November 1974, defeating the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
ticket of Alexander Farrelly and Ruby Rouss.
Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Governor Cyril King died in office of stomach cancer at Knud-Hansen Memorial Hospital at 8:06 p.m. on January 2, 1978. Luis, King's lieutenant governor, was sworn into office as the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands ten minutes after King's death to fill the remainder of his term.On February 21, 1978, Governor Luis appointed banker Henry Millin
Henry Millin
Henry A. Millin was an U.S. Virgin Islander banker and politician. Millin served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1978 until 1983.-Early life:...
, a Democrat, as his first lieutenant governor in an announcement broadcast on television and radio. Millin was sworn into office on March 10, 1978, at Government House on Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
. Millin became Luis' running mate in the 1978 gubernatorial election in November. Luis chose to run for Governor as an independent candidate, dropping his previous political affiliation with the ICM in the election.
Governor Luis and Lt. Governor Millin were elected to a full four-year term on November 7, 1978. Luis defeated the Democratic ticket of Ron de Lugo
Ron de Lugo
Ron de Lugo was the first Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives. His fathers parents were Puerto Ricans his grandfather owned a hardware store and gun dealership in Charlotte Amale, St. Thomas. His parents though living in New Jersey at the...
, the-then Delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. House of Representatives, and de Lugo's running mate, Senator Eric E. Dawson, in a tough election campaign. Luis won 10,978 votes, or 59.2%, while de Lugo placed second with 7,568 votes, or 40.8% of the total votes cast. Luis won all three major islands in the election, including a landslide win on Saint Croix.
Governor Luis and Lt. Governor Millin were inaugurated into a full, four-year term on Thursday, January 4, 1979, at a ceremony in Christiansted.
In 1982, Luis announced his campaign for re-election to a second full term. However, Lieutenant Governor Henry Millin chose to challenge Luis in the 1982 gubernatorial election. Luis needed a new running mate and he selected Julio Brady
Julio Brady
Julio A. Brady is a U.S. Virgin Islander judge, politician and attorney. Brady served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1983 to 1987 during the second term of former Governor Juan Francisco Luis. Brady has served as a U.S...
to replace Millin on the ticket.
Luis was re-elected to a second term on November 2, 1982, in a five-candidate race. Luis and Brady came in first with 11,354 votes and were declared the winners of the election. His closest challenger, Lt. Governor Henry Millin, placed second with 4,143 votes. However, the election was challenged in court by fourteen Virgin Islands residents, who argued that blank and spoiled ballots should be counted, which would necessitate a runoff election. By law, a gubernatorial candidate in the U.S. Virgin Islands must garner more than 50% of vote to avoid a runoff. Luis would have fallen just short of 50% if blank and spoiled ballots were counted. A lower court in the Virgin Islands agreed with those arguing for a runoff and ordered the blank and spoiled ballots to be counted, which brought Luis below 50%. However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
in Philadelphia rejected the lower court ruling and allowed blank and spoiled ballots to be excluded, giving Luis an outright majority of the total votes cast. Thus, Luis won re-election to a second term without a runoff. Luis and Lt. Governor Julio Brady were sworn into a second term in January 1983.
Governor Luis created a new office, the federal programs coordinator, which worked to better coordinate federal funding and cultivate better relations with U.S. federal agencies, such as the Office of Insular Affairs. Luis is credited by many, including current Governor John de Jongh
John de Jongh
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. is the current Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.-Life and career:de Jongh was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mother in Detroit, Michigan while his mother did...
, with the overhaul and creation of the U.S. Virgin Islands' present health care system
Health care system
A health care system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations....
during his time in office. Luis successfully lobbied for federal funding which was used to construct most of the U.S. Virgin Islands modern hospitals, including the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on Saint Croix, the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on Saint John
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. St...
and the Schneider Regional Medical Center on Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
. In education, Luis abolished the practice of holding two separate sessions of school at the same school during the day.
Luis spearheaded the expansion of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on Saint Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport
Cyril E. King Airport
-Cargo:*Ameriflight *Four Star Aviation*FedEx-Accidents and incidents:On December 28, 1970, Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505 made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway. Two of the 48 passengers died in the subsequent fire....
on Saint Thomas. He also oversaw the construction of other infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
projects, including the creation of a container terminal
Container terminal
A container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...
on Saint Croix. The first desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
plant was constructed by the V.I. Water and Power Authority during Luis' administration.
Governor Luis was also credited with launching the political careers of some of the U.S. Virgin Islands' most prominent politicians. They included former Senator Holland Redfield, whom he appointed to the Public Services Commission and encouraged to run for the Legislature in 1984, and Governor John de Jongh
John de Jongh
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. is the current Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.-Life and career:de Jongh was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mother in Detroit, Michigan while his mother did...
, whom Luis nominated to the V.I. Industrial Development Commission, which launched de Jongh's career in public service.
Luis was barred from seeking a third consecutive term in the 1986 gubernatorial election due to term limits . He was succeeded by Alexander Farrelly on January 5, 1987.
Later life
In 1990, Luis once again ran for election as Governor. However, he was defeated by then Governor Alexander Farrelly, who won re-election.Juan Francisco Luis was hospitalized at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on St. Croix on June 3, 2011. He died at the hospital on June 4, 2011, at the age of 70. His funeral mass was held at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Christiansted. Luis was buried at Kingshill Cemetery following a graveside service, which included a full military tribute by the Virgin Islands National Guard
Virgin Islands National Guard
The U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard consists of the:*Virgin Islands Army National Guard *Virgin Islands Air National Guard ** 285th Combat Communications Squadron...
.
Luis was survived by his wife, former First Lady Luz Maria Guadalupe Luis; their children, Carlotta Amalia Luis and Juan Francisco Luis Jr.; his sister, Lydia Cintron-Monell; and two brothers, Carlos Monell and Esteban Monell Jr.
Luis died less than a week after the passing of another U.S. Virgin Islands political figure, former Lt. Governor Derek Hodge
Derek Hodge
Derek M. Hodge was a U.S. Virgin Islander politician and lawyer. Hodge served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands for two terms from 1987 to 1995 under Governor Alexander Farrelly...
.