NW Quadrant, East of Rock Creek, Journalists, Latino, Radicals, Also of Interest

Luis Muñoz Marín
(February 18, 1898 – April 30, 1980)

The Churchill, 1914 Connecticut Ave. NW, Kalorama neighborhood, DC.

Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician, Muñoz Marín has been called the "father of modern Puerto Rico." When the US passed legislation allowing Puerto Rico to elect its own governor, Muñoz Marín was elected for four consecutive terms, serving a total of 16 years, during which time he worked with the US Congress to create a constitution that changed the status of Puerto Rico to a commonwealth.

Muñoz Marín lived in DC during his teens. In 1911, he joined his father, who was serving as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the US Congress. Muñoz Marín began his studies at the Georgetown Preparatory School, but failed the tenth grade. In 1915, his father enrolled him at Georgetown University Law Center, but in late 1916 he returned to Puerto Rico when his father's heath began to fail. He published two books of poems, as well as essays and journalism.

Author photo courtesy of the government of Puerto Rico.