Roberto Sánchez Vilella

Roberto Sánchez Vilella (1958)

Roberto Sánchez Vilella (born February 19, 1913 in Mayagüez , † March 24, 1997 ) was a Puerto Rican politician and governor of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969 .

Career

Roberto Sánchez Vilella attended the public schools of his home country and then until 1934 the Ohio State University , where he was trained as a civil engineer. He then returned to his Puerto Rican homeland, where he embarked on a political career. He held various official positions. Among other things, he was Administrator of the Transportation Authority between 1942 and 1945 . In 1945 and 1946 he served as mayor of San Juan . From 1952 to 1965 he was Secretary of State, the executive officer of the government of Puerto Rico. For a short time he also worked in the private construction industry. He built a government-funded tourist hotel. Politically, he was a member of the Democratic Party of the United States and the Puerto Rican Partido Popular Democrático .

In 1964 he was elected as the new governor of Puerto Rico to succeed Luis Muñoz Marín . He held this office between January 2, 1965 and January 2, 1969. He ruled at a time when Puerto Rico, also through his support, was gradually changing from an agricultural area to an industrial and tourist region. A vote on the status of Puerto Rico as a territory of the United States at that time resulted in a clear majority in favor of maintaining the existing state. His politics brought him into conflict with his party, which did not nominate him for re-election in 1968. He left the party and founded his own short-lived People's Party ( Partido del Pueblo ), which, although not winning the gubernatorial elections, harmed his old party. Their candidate lost to Luis A. Ferré from the Partido Nuevo Progresista .

After the end of his governorship, Sánchez Vilella was Professor of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico . He died of cancer on March 24, 1997.

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personal data
SURNAME	Sánchez Vilella, Roberto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Puerto Rican politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 19, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mayagüez
DATE OF DEATH	March 24, 1997