|
| Affiliation | Republican |
|
| Name | Oscar Garcia Rivera |
| Address |
New York, New York , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
November 06, 1900
|
| Died | February 14, 1969
(68 years)
|
| Contributor | nystate63 |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Nov 06, 2024 02:22am |
| Tags |
Hispanic - Union Member -
|
| Info | First Puerto Rican elected to public office in the continental United States. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico on November 6, 1900 to a well-to-do family. After graduating from high school in 1925, he visited New York City and was deeply affected by the plight of the poor and working classes. He returned the following year and worked at the Boerum and Pease Binder factory in Brooklyn. He later became a postal clerk at the City Hall Post Office, where he organized the Puerto Rican/Hispanic employees and was responsible for integrating them into the Postal Clerks Union of America.
In 1930, Garcia graduated St. John's University, which had been founded only three years earlier, with a degree in law. He practiced in E federal and state courts, eventually establishing offices on Wall Street, mid-Manhattan and Spanish Harlem, home to 20,000 Latinos at the time who often received pro bono (free) legal services from him. The Great Depression hit Spanish Harlem harder than other communities in the city. Relief programs offered to other areas never reached the Puerto Rican community. Schools were overcrowded, housing was substandard and in short supply. Unemployment and high crime ravaged residents of El Barrio, while police brutality further enraged the community which had no voice Garcia Rivera ran for Assemblyman of the 17th Assembly District in the borough of Manhattan and was elected to the New York State Assembly.
Drawing on his community and a broader city-wide base, Garcia became the first Puerto Rican to hold an elected office in the continental United States. His supporters included New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, New York City District Attorney Thomas Dewey, Michael J. Quill, President of the International Transport Workers Union of America, and George Meany, President of the AFL/CIO. Assemblyman Garcia pursued protective laws for children and labor. His Unemployment Insurance Bill was accepted by the Assembly on February 3, 1939. He served two terms in the New York State Assembly, leaving an outstanding record of service. In 1969 Oscar Garcia Rivera died in his hometown of Mayagüez.
[Link] |
 | BOOKS |
 |
|
| Title |
Purchase |
Contributor |
|
| Start Date |
End Date |
Type |
Title |
Contributor |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
| INFORMATION LINKS |
|
|
|
