US Congressman, Labor Leader. Born Santiago Iglesias Pantin in Spain, he became a cabinet maker and a labor leader in Cuba and Puerto Rico. At the age of fifteen he boarded a ship in Spain to see the world and arrived in Cuba. He became active in Cuban union causes but in 1896 he had to flee Havana because of his involvement in that nation's revolutionary movement. He moved to Puerto Rico where from 1898 to 1925 he was editor for three labor newspapers. The American Federation of Labor appointed him general organizer of the districts of Puerto Rico and Cuba in 1901. His labor efforts led to a career in politics. He was a member of the Puerto Rican Senate from 1917 to 1933 and represented Puerto Rico in the United States Congress from 1933 until his death in 1939. While in Congress he was successful in getting Puerto Rico included into many federal benefit packages, including the Federal Highway Act and the Slum Clearance Act. He failed, however, in his many attempts to achieve statehood for the island.
US Congressman, Labor Leader. Born Santiago Iglesias Pantin in Spain, he became a cabinet maker and a labor leader in Cuba and Puerto Rico. At the age of fifteen he boarded a ship in Spain to see the world and arrived in Cuba. He became active in Cuban union causes but in 1896 he had to flee Havana because of his involvement in that nation's revolutionary movement. He moved to Puerto Rico where from 1898 to 1925 he was editor for three labor newspapers. The American Federation of Labor appointed him general organizer of the districts of Puerto Rico and Cuba in 1901. His labor efforts led to a career in politics. He was a member of the Puerto Rican Senate from 1917 to 1933 and represented Puerto Rico in the United States Congress from 1933 until his death in 1939. While in Congress he was successful in getting Puerto Rico included into many federal benefit packages, including the Federal Highway Act and the Slum Clearance Act. He failed, however, in his many attempts to achieve statehood for the island.
Bio by: Bigwoo
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Iglesias Pantín memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
