Federico DEGETAU, Congress, PR (1862-1914)

DEGETAU, Federico, a Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico; born in Ponce, P.R., December 5, 1862; attended the common schools and Central College of Ponce; completed an academic course at Barcelona, Spain, and was graduated from the law department of Central University of Madrid; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Madrid, Spain; returned to Puerto Rico; one of the four commissioners sent by Puerto Rico to ask Spain for autonomy; settled in San Juan and continued the practice of law; member of the municipal council of San Juan in 1897; mayor of San Juan in 1898; deputy to the Spanish Cortes of 1898; appointed by General Henry secretary of the interior of the first American cabinet that was formed in Puerto Rico in 1899; appointed by General Davis a member of the insular board of charities; writer and author; first vice president of the municipal council of San Juan in 1899 and 1900; president of the board of education of San Juan in 1900 and 1901; elected as a Puerto Rican Republican a Resident Commissioner to the United States in 1900; reelected in 1902, and served from March 4, 1901, until March 3, 1905; was not a candidate for renomination in 1904; resumed the practice of law; died in Santurce, Puerto Rico, January 20, 1914; interment in the Cemetery of San Juan.

Bibliography

Degetau y Gonzalez, Federico. The Political Status of Porto Rico. Washington, Globe Printing Company, 1902; Mergal Llera, Angel M. “Federico Degetau, Un Orientador De Su Pueblo.” Ph. D. Diss., Columbia University, 1945.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present