Luis A. Ferré
Encyclopedia
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 October 21, 2003) was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party
which advocates for Puerto Rico
becoming a state of the United States of America. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
.
on February 17, 1904. Ferré's grandfather was a French engineer who was involved in the construction of the Panama Canal
before settling in a residence in Cuba
. Ferre's father, Antonio Ferré, was born in Cuba and immigrated to Puerto Rico where he founded the company Puerto Rico Iron Works
, in Barrio Playa de Ponce
, Ponce, Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico Antonio met Maria Aguayo Casals, who was a cousin of Spanish Catalan
cellist Pau Casals. Antonio and Maria had four sons, Luis, Jose, Carlos and Herman Ferré, and two daughters, Rosario and Isolina Ferré
.
He studied Civil Engineering
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1924 and masters degree in 1925, and music at the New England Conservatory of Music
. During this time, while living in Boston, Ferré developed an admiration for the "American way of democracy".
, Ferré helped transform his father's company into a successful business which earned him a fortune. In 1948, he acquired "El Día" a fledgling newspaper, converting it to El Nuevo Día
, the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. "Empresas Ferré" would later acquire in the 1950s Puerto Rico Cement and Ponce Cement, which capitalized in the economic boom which Puerto Rico experienced at the time as the result of the ambitious industrialization projects which came with Operation Bootstrap
. Luis' brother Jose had moved to Miami and his son Maurice (see Maurice Ferre
) expanded a successful business in Miami, Florida selling bagged pre-mixed cement under the name Mezcla Lista. Maurice also became Mayor of Miami.
in 1948.
was elected governor of Puerto Rico, and a movement began which aimed to adopt a commonwealth relationship with the United States of America. In 1951, a referendum
was held to decided to whether to approve or not the option granted by the United States Congress
to draft Puerto Rico's first constitution. Ferré abstained from participating in the process in which the pro-statehood party to which he belonged favored the 1951 referendum
. He believed that the process would mean "an acceptance of a colony and condemn the people to a perpetual condition of second class citizenship". Still, Ferré would later participate in the constitutional assembly created by the referendum
which would draft the constitution. In 1952 the Constitution of Puerto Rico
was adopted, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
. He was a member of the Constitutional Assembly
. That same year Ferré was elected representative in the Puerto Rico
House of Representatives. Ferré ran under the Republican Statehood Party ("Partido Estadista Republicano) and officially assumed his duties as representative on January 11, 1953.
desired to become an independent nation, a state of the United States of America or continue the commonwealth relation established in 1952. The majority of Puerto Ricans
opted for the Commonwealth option (see Puerto Rican status referendums). Disagreement among the current pro-statehood party led by Miguel A. García Méndez
led Ferré and others to found the New Progressive Party
or PNP
.
In the following general election in 1968 Ferré ran for Governor
and defeated Luis Negrón Lopez, the candidate of the Popular Democratic Party
(PPD) by a slight margin, after the ruling party split with the creation of the People's Party, which ran incumbent PDP-elected Governor Sánchez Vilella as its gubernatorial party, ending Luis Muñoz Marín
's PPD's hold on the governor's seat which lasted 28 years.
During his administration Puerto Rico was in an economic boom at 7% Gdp Growth and the unemployment at 10% the lowest until 1999.
His work as governor of Puerto Rico included defending the federal minimum wage and granting workers a Christmas bonus. He visited Puerto Rican
troops in Vietnam
. In 1970 his first wife, Lorencita, died at La Fortaleza after being bed-ridden for years. Their daughter, Rosario Ferré
, an acclaimed novelist and writer, stepped into the role of First Lady
.
During his governorship, he paid special attention to youth affairs and bringing young Puerto Ricans into public service. He successfully had the Puerto Rico Constitution amended to lower the voting age to 18, strongly supported the New Progressive Party Youth organization as party president, and appointed then-young statehooders such as Antonio Quiñones Calderon and Francisco "Pompi" Gonzalez to high-level administration jobs, campaigned for a 26-year-old at large House candidate, nominated a future Senate President and Secretary of State, teenager Kenneth McClintock
as Puerto Rico delegate to the 1971 White House Conference on Youth, and strengthened college scholarship programs.
Before the Congress created the United States Environmental Protection Agency
in 1971, Ferré had already created Puerto Rico's Environmental Quality Board in 1970, charged with protecting the islands' environment.
In the elections of 1972 he sought reelection but lost to Rafael Hernández Colón
of the PPD. The PDP had claimed that many corruption scandals (rather minor compared to similar ones in the various administrations following Ferré's) had been overlooked by the Ferré administration. A bloody student strike at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in 1971 had been neutralized by the Puerto Rican police using brute force, something about which Ferré had mixed feelings. Hernández played the youth card in his campaign (when elected he was the youngest Puerto Rican governor). All these issues, along with the reunification of the People's Party and the PDP, contributed to a PDP win over Ferré in the election.
Despite this, Ferre was one of the most-liked former governors in history as well Luis Munoz Marin and Rafael Hernandez Colon.
Ferré remained active in politics and in 1976, he was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico
. Ferré served as the eighth president of the Senate from 1977 to 1980 and continued serving as senator until 1984.
Years after leaving La Fortaleza, he married Tiody De Jesus, a nurse who later became a physician.
After serving as senator, Ferré continued to be active in politics, especially representing the United States Republican Party on the island. Between 1989 and 1991, Ferré served with former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
, former representative Benny Frankie Cerezo
, PNP leader Kenneth McClintock
and former congressional staffer David Gerken as the New Progressive Party's negotiating team while Congress considered Puerto Rico political status legislation introduced by Senator J. Bennett Johnston.
Ferré was also a talented pianist who recorded several albums of his piano music. On January 3, 1959 he founded the Ponce Museum of Art
, in his hometown of Ponce. The museum initially displayed 71 paintings from his personal collection and today displays over 3,000 pieces. Among other things, Ferré is credited with having rescued from oblivion the painting "Flaming June
" by the Victorian
painter Frederic Lord Leighton – purchasing it in 1963, when it was considered "too old fashioned" and getting it prominently displayed at the Ponce Museum of Art.
"El Centro de Bellas Artes", the center for performing arts in Santurce, Puerto Rico also bears his name, as well as the main highway connecting San Juan and Ponce. He also assisted in the creation of the Casals Festival
and the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He was a member of Phi Sigma Alpha
Fraternity. As a sportsman, Ferré practiced fencing, and is honored annually with the "Campeonato Nacional de Esgrima" in Puerto Rico.
His philanthropic deeds and defense for democracy earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
, awarded by President George H. W. Bush
on November 18, 1991.
and underwent surgery for an intestinal blockage
on October 1. While in the hospital he developed pneumonia
before finally succumbing to respiratory failure
on the morning of October 21, 2003. He was 99 years old, three and a half months shy of his 100th birthday.
His body lay in state in Puerto Rico's capitol building in San Juan, then transported to his museum in Ponce, before being taken for a state funeral and burial in that city. His funeral and ceremonies honoring him were attended by numerous politicians. He is interred at the Las Mercedes Cemetery in Ponce.
Among the numerous awards that were bestowed on Luis A. Ferré was the Presidential Medal of Freedom
, an honor which was also subsequently bestowed on his sister Sor Isolina Ferre. The renowned sculptor Tomás Batista
was also commissioned to make a bust of Ferré, which is exhibited in the Ponce Museum of Art
. Another Tomás Batista
bust of him was unveiled by his widow, Tiody, Senate President Kenneth McClintock
and Senate Vice President Orlando Parga
in February, 2008 at the Senate of Puerto Rico
's Hall of Governors.
The segment of Las Américas Avenue that includes the Museo de Arte de Ponce and the Pontifical Catholic University was renamed the Luis A. Ferré Boulevard in November, 2010, in his honor.
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
which advocates for Puerto Rico
Puerto 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...
becoming a state of the United States of America. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
.
Early life
Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was born in the southern city of Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, 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...
on February 17, 1904. Ferré's grandfather was a French engineer who was involved in the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
before settling in a residence in 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...
. Ferre's father, Antonio Ferré, was born in Cuba and immigrated to Puerto Rico where he founded the company Puerto Rico Iron Works
Puerto Rico Iron Works
Puerto Rico Iron Works is a heavy industry iron foundry located in barrio La Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1918...
, in Barrio Playa de Ponce
Playa (Ponce)
La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
, Ponce, Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico Antonio met Maria Aguayo Casals, who was a cousin of Spanish Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
cellist Pau Casals. Antonio and Maria had four sons, Luis, Jose, Carlos and Herman Ferré, and two daughters, Rosario and Isolina Ferré
Isolina Ferré
Isolina Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican Roman Catholic nun. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her humanitarian work....
.
He studied Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1924 and masters degree in 1925, and music at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
. During this time, while living in Boston, Ferré developed an admiration for the "American way of democracy".
Industrialist
Upon his return to 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...
, Ferré helped transform his father's company into a successful business which earned him a fortune. In 1948, he acquired "El Día" a fledgling newspaper, converting it to El Nuevo Día
El Nuevo Día
El Nuevo Día is a Puerto Rican newspaper based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and distributed daily throughout Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States.- History :...
, the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. "Empresas Ferré" would later acquire in the 1950s Puerto Rico Cement and Ponce Cement, which capitalized in the economic boom which Puerto Rico experienced at the time as the result of the ambitious industrialization projects which came with Operation Bootstrap
Operation Bootstrap
For other uses, see Bootstrapping and Bootstrapping .Operation Bootstrap is the name given to the ambitious projects which industrialized Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century.-History:...
. Luis' brother Jose had moved to Miami and his son Maurice (see Maurice Ferre
Maurice Ferre
Maurice A. Ferre is a former six-term Mayor of Miami. Ferre was the first United States mayor born in Puerto Rico and the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S...
) expanded a successful business in Miami, Florida selling bagged pre-mixed cement under the name Mezcla Lista. Maurice also became Mayor of Miami.
Political life
Ferré became active in politics in the 1940s. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Ponce in 1940 and Resident Commissioner of Puerto RicoResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
in 1948.
Representative
In 1948, Puerto Ricans were allowed to elect their governor. Luis Muñoz MarínLuis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
was elected governor of Puerto Rico, and a movement began which aimed to adopt a commonwealth relationship with the United States of America. In 1951, a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
was held to decided to whether to approve or not the option granted by the 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....
to draft Puerto Rico's first constitution. Ferré abstained from participating in the process in which the pro-statehood party to which he belonged favored the 1951 referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. He believed that the process would mean "an acceptance of a colony and condemn the people to a perpetual condition of second class citizenship". Still, Ferré would later participate in the constitutional assembly created by the referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
which would draft the constitution. In 1952 the Constitution of Puerto Rico
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...
was adopted, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Puerto 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 was a member of the Constitutional Assembly
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...
. That same year Ferré was elected representative in the Puerto Rico
Puerto 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...
House of Representatives. Ferré ran under the Republican Statehood Party ("Partido Estadista Republicano) and officially assumed his duties as representative on January 11, 1953.
Governor and Senator
On July 23, 1967, a plebiscite was held to decide if the people of 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...
desired to become an independent nation, a state of the United States of America or continue the commonwealth relation established in 1952. The majority of Puerto Ricans
Puerto 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...
opted for the Commonwealth option (see Puerto Rican status referendums). Disagreement among the current pro-statehood party led by Miguel A. García Méndez
Miguel A. García Méndez
Miguel Angel García Méndez was a recognized businessman, lawyer, statesman, and banker in Puerto Rico. He was a lifelong statehood supporter for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...
led Ferré and others to found the New Progressive Party
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
or PNP
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
.
In the following general election in 1968 Ferré ran for Governor
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
and defeated Luis Negrón Lopez, the candidate of the Popular Democratic Party
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) by a slight margin, after the ruling party split with the creation of the People's Party, which ran incumbent PDP-elected Governor Sánchez Vilella as its gubernatorial party, ending Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
's PPD's hold on the governor's seat which lasted 28 years.
During his administration Puerto Rico was in an economic boom at 7% Gdp Growth and the unemployment at 10% the lowest until 1999.
His work as governor of Puerto Rico included defending the federal minimum wage and granting workers a Christmas bonus. He visited Puerto Rican
Puerto 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...
troops in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In 1970 his first wife, Lorencita, died at La Fortaleza after being bed-ridden for years. Their daughter, Rosario Ferré
Rosario Ferré
Dr. Rosario Ferré is a Puerto Rican writer, poet and essayist. Her father, Luis A. Ferré, was the third elected Governor of Puerto Rico, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party. When her mother, Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano, died in 1970...
, an acclaimed novelist and writer, stepped into the role of 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...
.
During his governorship, he paid special attention to youth affairs and bringing young Puerto Ricans into public service. He successfully had the Puerto Rico Constitution amended to lower the voting age to 18, strongly supported the New Progressive Party Youth organization as party president, and appointed then-young statehooders such as Antonio Quiñones Calderon and Francisco "Pompi" Gonzalez to high-level administration jobs, campaigned for a 26-year-old at large House candidate, nominated a future Senate President and Secretary of State, teenager Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
as Puerto Rico delegate to the 1971 White House Conference on Youth, and strengthened college scholarship programs.
Before the Congress created the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
in 1971, Ferré had already created Puerto Rico's Environmental Quality Board in 1970, charged with protecting the islands' environment.
In the elections of 1972 he sought reelection but lost to Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
of the PPD. The PDP had claimed that many corruption scandals (rather minor compared to similar ones in the various administrations following Ferré's) had been overlooked by the Ferré administration. A bloody student strike at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in 1971 had been neutralized by the Puerto Rican police using brute force, something about which Ferré had mixed feelings. Hernández played the youth card in his campaign (when elected he was the youngest Puerto Rican governor). All these issues, along with the reunification of the People's Party and the PDP, contributed to a PDP win over Ferré in the election.
Despite this, Ferre was one of the most-liked former governors in history as well Luis Munoz Marin and Rafael Hernandez Colon.
Ferré remained active in politics and in 1976, he was elected to 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...
. Ferré served as the eighth president of the Senate from 1977 to 1980 and continued serving as senator until 1984.
Years after leaving La Fortaleza, he married Tiody De Jesus, a nurse who later became a physician.
After serving as senator, Ferré continued to be active in politics, especially representing the United States Republican Party on the island. Between 1989 and 1991, Ferré served with former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
, former representative Benny Frankie Cerezo
Benny Frankie Cerezo
Benny Frankie Cerezo, a native of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, served as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives between 1969 and 1973. Elected in 1968 under the banner of the newly founded New Progressive Party at an early age, incoming Speaker Angel Viera Martínez appointed him to chair...
, PNP leader Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
and former congressional staffer David Gerken as the New Progressive Party's negotiating team while Congress considered Puerto Rico political status legislation introduced by Senator J. Bennett Johnston.
Renaissance man
Ponce Museum of Art
Museo de Arte de Ponce, or MAP, is an art museum located on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico. It houses a collection of European art, as well as work by Puerto Rican artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean, it has also been...
, in his hometown of Ponce. The museum initially displayed 71 paintings from his personal collection and today displays over 3,000 pieces. Among other things, Ferré is credited with having rescued from oblivion the painting "Flaming June
Flaming June
Flaming June is a painting by Lord Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a 47" x 47" square canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton's magnum opus, showing his classicist nature. It is thought that the woman portrayed alludes to the figures of sleeping nymphs and...
" by the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
painter Frederic Lord Leighton – purchasing it in 1963, when it was considered "too old fashioned" and getting it prominently displayed at the Ponce Museum of Art.
"El Centro de Bellas Artes", the center for performing arts in Santurce, Puerto Rico also bears his name, as well as the main highway connecting San Juan and Ponce. He also assisted in the creation of the Casals Festival
Casals Festival
The Casals Festival is a classical music event celebrated every year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in honor of world renowned musician Pablo Casals.-Background:...
and the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He was a member of Phi Sigma Alpha
Phi Sigma Alpha
Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternity established originally as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity on October 22, 1928 at the University of Puerto Rico by 12 students and a professor...
Fraternity. As a sportsman, Ferré practiced fencing, and is honored annually with the "Campeonato Nacional de Esgrima" in Puerto Rico.
His philanthropic deeds and defense for democracy earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, awarded by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
on November 18, 1991.
Death and legacy
On September 29, 2003, Ferré was hospitalized with a urinary tract infectionUrinary tract infection
A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli...
and underwent surgery for an intestinal blockage
Intestine
In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...
on October 1. While in the hospital he developed pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
before finally succumbing to respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
on the morning of October 21, 2003. He was 99 years old, three and a half months shy of his 100th birthday.
His body lay in state in Puerto Rico's capitol building in San Juan, then transported to his museum in Ponce, before being taken for a state funeral and burial in that city. His funeral and ceremonies honoring him were attended by numerous politicians. He is interred at the Las Mercedes Cemetery in Ponce.
Among the numerous awards that were bestowed on Luis A. Ferré was the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, an honor which was also subsequently bestowed on his sister Sor Isolina Ferre. The renowned sculptor Tomás Batista
Tomás Batista
Tomás Batista is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most famous monuments.-Early years:...
was also commissioned to make a bust of Ferré, which is exhibited in the Ponce Museum of Art
Ponce Museum of Art
Museo de Arte de Ponce, or MAP, is an art museum located on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico. It houses a collection of European art, as well as work by Puerto Rican artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean, it has also been...
. Another Tomás Batista
Tomás Batista
Tomás Batista is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most famous monuments.-Early years:...
bust of him was unveiled by his widow, Tiody, Senate President Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
and Senate Vice President Orlando Parga
Orlando Parga
- Early life:Orlando Parga-Figueroa is a former Senator of Puerto Rico born in Mayaguez and currently resides in Caguas with his wife, Teresita. His father, Orlando Parga Tossas, was a leader of the StatehoodRepublican Party and a right-hand man to SRP leader Miguel A. García Méndez...
in February, 2008 at 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...
's Hall of Governors.
The segment of Las Américas Avenue that includes the Museo de Arte de Ponce and the Pontifical Catholic University was renamed the Luis A. Ferré Boulevard in November, 2010, in his honor.
See also
- Sor Isolina Ferré
- The Last Sleep of Arthur in AvalonThe Last Sleep of Arthur in AvalonThe Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon is a painting by Edward Burne-Jones, started in 1881. The massive painting measures 279 cm × 650 cm, and is widely considered to be Burne-Jones's magnum opus....
- List of famous Puerto Ricans – Governors
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