Ramón Power y Giralt
Ramón Power y Giralt (born October 7, 1775 in San Juan , Puerto Rico , † June 10, 1813 in Cádiz , Spain ) was, according to the Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, one of the first native Puerto Ricans to describe himself as such . He fought for equality in Puerto Rico before the parliamentary government of Spain.
Life
Ramón Power y Giralt attended a private school in his hometown of San Juan. In 1788, at the age of 13, he was sent to Bilbao to continue his education there. At the age of 17 he began studying the navy in Spain. Upon graduation , he was appointed lieutenant in the Spanish Navy . Later he was promoted to admiral . He proved himself in 1808/09 in the defense of the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo against an invasion by the French by reinforcing a blockade.
In 1810, Ramón Power y Giralt was selected by the local Junta Central Gobernativa del Reino (central government body of the kingdom) to serve Puerto Rico at the Spanish Court of Justice of Cádiz, the parliamentary assembly that met in the southern Spanish port city of Cádiz , during the occupation by Napoléon Bonaparte (who had appointed his son Joseph to succeed King Ferdinand VII ). One of his greatest patrons was Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi, who gave him his bishop's ring so that he would never forget his compatriots. Giralt was an avid advocate for Puerto Rico during his brief tenure as a court MP, which began June 8, 1810. He was named vice president of the court and gained power to promote Puerto Rico's economy. The most famous work of the assembly was the constitution of 1812.
Ramón Power y Giralt died on June 10, 1813 due to a yellow fever - epidemic that had spread in Europe. According to the English-language Puerto Rican newspaper The San Juan Star , a movement is campaigning for his body to be brought to Puerto Rico. His remains are currently resting with other MPs in a mass grave in the Oratorio San Felipe Neris in Cádiz, where they will be subjected to a DNA test.
Puerto Rico has named several streets and schools after Ramón Power y Giralt. His restored residence is home to the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust in Old San Juan. Jose Campeche honored him in a painting entitled "Shipwreck of Power". The graphic artist Lorenzo Homar also dedicated one of his works to him.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Giralt, Ramón Power y |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Puerto Rican admiral and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 7, 1775 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Juan , Puerto Rico |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 10, 1813 |
| Place of death | Cadiz , Spain |