Felisa Rincón de Gautier (), also known as Doña Fela,
Early years
Rincón de Gautier was born on January 9, 1897, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. She was the oldest of nine children She was politically influenced by her father, who was from the family of an earlier mayor of Yabucoa. Her mother, teacher Rita Marrero Rivera, died when she was around 11 years old. After her mother died, her father married Mercedes Acha, the mother of her half brother Manuel. Felisa ran the household and raised her younger brothers and sisters.
Her father was determined to give Felisa the best education possible. She went to school in Fajardo, Humacao and Santurce, however she did not graduate from high school. Her conservative father removed her from high school during her junior year, intending to prevent any involvement with male students. However, she worked on her sewing skills while caretaking. During the summers, she visited her uncle in San Lorenzo, where she learned how to prepare medications and became a pharmacist.
An expert seamstress, Felisa set herself the goal of creating employment in Puerto Rico by launching a local clothing factory. In order to master necessary skills, she worked for two years in New York City during the Great Depression, living with relatives, including her sister Josefina.
Upon her return to San Juan, she entered the wholesale/retail business and opened Felisa's Style Shop on Calle Fortaleza in Old San Juan. She also managed a flower shop called Miles de Flores. Throughout her lifetime, she remained closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church, as she directed her efforts to raising the standards of living for impoverished Puerto Ricans.
Women's rights activist
Rincón de Gautier was a firm believer in the women's right to vote and was an active participant in the suffragist movement, motivating many women to register. When the law allowing women to vote was passed, Rincón de Gautier was the fifth woman to officially register. In 1932, she joined the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, which believed in Puerto Rico's independence, and was named representative by the party's president Antonio R. Barceló. Motivated by the political ideas of Luis Muñoz Marín, she left the Liberal Party and in 1938 helped organize the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.
Marriage and family
In 1940, Rincón de Gautier married San Juan lawyer Genaro A. Gautier, who served as the Assistant Attorney General of Puerto Rico and Secretary General of the Popular Democratic Party. becoming the first female mayor of a capital city in the Americas. Her decision to follow in Muñoz Marín's footsteps despite knowing that the chances of winning were slim led to confrontations with her father, a supporter of Barceló. Despite not being keen on her staying in politics, Gautier collaborated with her career. She also renovated the public health system and was responsible for the establishment of the School of Medicine in San Juan. Her administration would also giveaway essential items such as clothing to the poor. She was buried at the Monacillos Cemetery in San Juan.
Rincón worked with Ricardo Alegría to restore and conserve the historical structures of Old San Juan and provided housing and basic services to thousands of people. In 1951, during the Cold War era, she ordered the establishment of the island's first Civil Defense system which was under the directorship of Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach. She often opened City Hall to the public and listened to concerns of the residents of the city. In 1959, San Juan was awarded the All American City Award.
She participated as a delegate in the Democratic Party nominating conventions. Her last convention in 1992 and at 95 years old, she was the oldest delegate to attend. Muñoz Marín was not supportive of her campaigns with the Democratic Party, but did not openly oppose them. In retirement, she harvested a variety of endemic or traditional fruit trees in her land. In New York City, both the Felisa Rincón de Gautier Institute for Law & Public Policy in the Bronx and a public school (PS 376) in Brooklyn, New York, are named in her honor.
In 2019, Felisa Rincón de Gautier was highlighted by MSNBC for her outstanding political and humanitarian accomplishments as a notable American. Rincón was also leading the renovation of San Juan's Municipal Hospital Complex eventually becoming the First Hospital in Puerto Rico to get full accreditation from the American hospital Association in 1960.
On March 14, 2019, The Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA) honored Felisa Rincón de Gautier with the Distinguished Woman award.
Dona Felisa received recognition from multiple governments such as France (Medal of Joan of Arc), Spain (Gold Medal of Honor), and Ecuador (Gold Medal of Honor).
Felisa Rincón de Gautier was also recognized as "Woman of the Americas" in 1954 by the Union of American women due to her contributions to American society.
Ancestry
See also
- List of mayors of San Juan, Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Ricans
- History of women in Puerto Rico