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This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico ("Borinquen"), people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican background. It should be noted that the government of Puerto Rico has been issuing "Certificates of Puerto Rican Citizenship" to anyone born in Puerto Rico or to anyone born outside of Puerto Rico with at least one parent who was born in Puerto Rico since 2007. Also, included in the list are some long-term continental American and other residents and/or immigrants of other ethnic heritages who have made Puerto Rico their home and consider themselves to be Puerto Ricans.
Contents
- Actors actresses comedians and directors
- Adult film entertainers
- Hostspresenters
- Architects
- Authors playwrights and poets
- Beauty queens and fashion models
- Business people and industrialists
- Cartoonists
- Civil rights andor political activists
- Nationalists
- Clergy
- Composers contemporary singers musicians and opera
- Opera
- Criminals and outlaws
- Diplomats
- Educators
- Governors of Puerto Rico
- First Ladies of Puerto Rico
- Historians
- Journalists
- Judges law enforcement and firefighters
- Military
- Physicians scientists and inventors
- Politicians
- Sports
- Tanos
- Visual artists
- Miscellaneous
- References
The list is divided into categories and, in some cases, sub-categories, which best describe the field for which the subject is most noted. Some categories such as "Actors, actresses, Comedians and directors" are relative since a subject who is a comedian may also be an actor or director. In some cases a subject may be notable in more than one field, such as Luis A. Ferré, who is notable both as a former governor and as an industrialist. However, the custom is to place the subject's name under the category for which he/she is most noted.
Actors, actresses, comedians and directors
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Z
Adult film entertainers
Hosts/presenters
Architects
Authors, playwrights and poets
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Z
Beauty queens and fashion models
Business people and industrialists
Cartoonists
Civil rights and/or political activists
Nationalists
Political activists who were members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
Clergy
Pre-20th century
20th century
21st century
Composers, contemporary singers, musicians and opera
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Member of Calle 13
Q
R
S
T
V
W
Y
Z
Opera
Criminals and outlaws
Pre-20th century
20th century
21st century
Diplomats
20th century
21st century
Educators
Governors of Puerto Rico
Pre-20th century
20th century
21st century
First Ladies of Puerto Rico
Historians
Journalists
Judges, law enforcement and firefighters
Judges
Law enforcement
Firefighters
Military
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
20th century
Portela served in the position of Assistant Adjutant General for Air while also serving as commander of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. In 1972, Portela became the youngest C-141 Starlifter aircraft commander and captain at age 22. Portela is the only reservist ever to serve as director of mobility forces for Bosnia.
Ramírez de Arellano was the first Hispanic submarine commander. He was awarded two Silver Stars and a Bronze Star for his actions against the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II.
Ramos was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command.
With 22 military decorations Ramos Calero was the most decorated soldier in all of the United States during World War II.
Ribas-Dominicci was one of the pilots who participated in the Libyan air raid as member of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. His F-111F was shot down in action over the disputed Gulf of Sidra off the Libyan coast. Ribas-Dominicci and his weapons systems officer, Capt. Paul Lorence, were the only U.S. casualties of Operation El Dorado Canyon.
Born Luis Federico Riefkohl Jaimieson, he was one of the first Puerto Ricans to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and in World War I became the first Puerto Rican to be awarded the Navy Cross.
Riefkohl played an instrumental role in helping the people of Poland overcome the 1919 typhus epidemic.
Rivera [received] the Medal of Honor posthumously on March 18, 2014, for his courageous actions while serving as an automatic rifleman with 2d Platoon, Company G, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Changyong-ni, Korea on May 23, 1951.
Rivera, who was of Puerto Rican descent, was the first U.S. serviceman to die in Operation Desert Shield.
In 1994, Rivera became the first Hispanic to be named medical commander in the Air Force. He was responsible for the provision of health care to more than 50,000 patients.
In 1964, Rivero became the first Puerto Rican and second Hispanic Admiral (four-star) in the U.S. Navy. Rivero participated in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and in 1962, Admiral Rivero was the commander of the American fleet sent by President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis to set up a quarantine (blockade) of the Soviet ships in an effort to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III.
Rodriguez was a member of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry. He earned two Silver Stars within a seven-day period during the Korean War.
Rodríguez Balinas was the first commander of the Office of the First U.S. Army Deputy Command. During the Korean War he fought with Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment and was awarded the Silver Star Medal
Rodriguez Denton was the first woman from Puerto Rico who became an officer in the United States Navy as member of the WAVES. It was Lt. Denton who forwarded the news (through channels) to President Harry S. Truman that the war had ended.
Rodríguez Vargas was an odontologist (dentist), scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army who in 1921 discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.
Rubio was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tây Ninh Province in the Republic of Vietnam on 8 November 1966.
Sabater commanded the 1st Battalion 9th Marines during the Bougainville amphibious operations in World War II.
Santiago has the distinction of being the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines first Hispanic Sergeant Major and its first Sergeant Major since its reactivation on 13 July 2007.
In 1968, Santiago-Colón was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam as member of Company B of the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division.
In 1943, Segarra became the first Puerto Rican Regular Army officer to command a Regular Army Regiment when he assumed the command of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment which at the time was conducting security missions in the jungles of Panama.
Segarra is the first Puerto Rican to reach the grade of Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps within his MOS.
Toro was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his "extraordinary heroism in battle" while fighting in Nicaragua during the second Nicaragua campaign in 1927.
Vera will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as an automatic rifleman with Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division in Chorwon, Korea, on September 21, 1952.
Humbert Roque Versace, of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.
Villaronga was the first Puerto Rican to be elected as Mayor of a Texas city (Killeen).
21st century
In 2015, Carcana became the first woman to be named Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard.
Castro, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is one of three blind active-duty officers who serves in the US Army and the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces.
On 13 June 2007, Colon-López a pararescueman, was the first and only Hispanic among the first six airmen to be awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal. He is the commandant of the Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer School.
Custodio made history when she became the first female Hispanic U.S. military pilot. She holds the distinction of being first Latina to complete U.S. Air Force military pilot training. After retiring from the military she became the first Latina to become a commercial airline captain.
Díaz-Colón is the first Superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police who once served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard.
In 2007 Levy became the first Puerto Rican Rhodes scholar.
O'Ferrall is the first Hispanic and person of Puerto Rican descent to become the Deputy Commanding General for the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo, Cuba while simultaneously serving as Assistant Adjutant General (Army) and Deputy Commanding General of the Joint Force Headquarters at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ortiz, who was of Puerto Rican descent, was the first United States Army nurse to die in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first to die in combat since the Vietnam War.
Otero led the establishment of the first ever U.S. Central Command Headquarters in Qatar. He founded the Polish and Colombian Joint Special Operations Commands while he was assigned to United States Special Operations Command.
Pagan is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In 2005, SPC Robles was the first female soldier born in Puerto Rico to die in combat as an active soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sáenz Ryan, who is of Puerto Ricana and Spanish descent, is the head of the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy. She is the first woman and first Hispanic (Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage) West Point graduate to serve as an academic department head. She also has the distinction of also being the most senior ranking Hispanic Judge Advocate.
On 11 September 2001, then – Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville (whose mother, Yita Joan Frontera Lluch, hailed from Yauco) was the acting operations group commander under the 113th Wing of the DC Air National Guard. He was one of four fighter pilots commissioned with finding and destroying United Flight 93 by any means necessary, including ramming the aircraft in midair.
On 2 November 2003, Vega became the first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to die in a combat zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Physicians, scientists and inventors
First Puerto Rican astronaut.
In 1972, Alcalá was appointed assistant professor in the Wayne School of Medicine. There he conducted research which would make him the foremost expert on cell makeup of the human eye lens. Alcalá developed laboratory methods to study the histology of ocular tissue, which ultimately helped to explain the development of cataracts, among other maladies of the eye.
First Hispanic Educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a PhD in Psychology in the United States.
"Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology".
Amely Vélez is an electrical engineer and inventor who holds various patents in the field of Medical Technology.
Ashford, a Colonel in the U.S. Army, arrived in Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War and made the island his home. He organized and conducted a parasite treatment campaign, which cured approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population) and reduced the death rate from this anemia by 90 percent.
The first Puerto Rican specialist certified by the American Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Board, who performed the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique on the island in 1985.
In 1959, Blanco discovered a "Blanco 1", a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, which has the largest 4-m telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1995, the telescope was dedicated in his honor and named the "Víctor M. Blanco Telescope" and is also known as the "Blanco 4m."
A leading expert on hydrometeorology and global warming.
Busquets is involved in the development and application of multifunction control/display switch technology in 1983 and Development and application of a microprocessor-based I/O system for simulator use in 1984.
Chardón is the first Puerto Rican mycologist. Discovered the aphid "Aphis maidis", the vector of the mosaic of sugar cane, in 1922. Author of the Chardón Plan and first Puerto Rican to hold the position of Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico.
Chief of NASA's (JSC) Space and Health Care Systems Office.
first Puerto Rican Chief Scientist of the National Ice Center (2005–present)
first Hispanic and first woman U.S. Surgeon General (1990–93)
physician, medical researcher, and president of the Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico. was born on 25 April 1839 in Isabela, Puerto Rico.
Cordero is the founding director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Founder and President of Team Therapy Services For Children (ITT'S for Children)
Cordero Hardy's research on vitamin E helped other scientists understand about how the vitamin works in the human body.
Correa-Pérez is a scientist who is credited with becoming the first clinical Andrologist and Embryologist in Puerto Rico.
Cruz played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) parachute.
Del Castillo was the Program Scientist for the Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program at NASA Headquarters, in Washington, D.C. Del Castillo is the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.
multi-faceted physician who specialized in various medical disciplines. Introduced the first EKG and X-ray machines into Puerto Rico. Founded a medical clinic which today houses a respected medical center in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
First Puerto Rican to work for NASA.
Figueroa pioneered the development of position-sensitive detectors.
Previously served as Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters is now the Director, Applied Engineering & Technology at the NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center; as Director of Engineering he manages the full scope of engineering activities at Goddard.
First Puerto Rican astrophysicist at NASA working in solar plasma physics. As a senior research scientist he is involved in many NASA missions such as Wind, SOHO, Cluster and MMS projects in which he is the author and co-author of numerous scientific papers in his field.
lead physician attending to the wounded of the Ponce massacre and later an expert witness at the trials of the "Nacionalistas" as well as before the Hays Commission. Held numerous government positions, including Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico and co-founded the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.
first Puerto Rican Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and an Admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Together with fellow inventors Sunggyu Lee and John R. Wootton, García Ortiz was granted various patents. A sample of these patents includes: US Patent No 6,177,885, "System and method for detecting traffic anomalies", US Patent No 7,186,345, "Systems for water purification through supercritical oxidation", and US Patent No 7,688,605, "Systems and methods for reducing the magnitude of harmonics produced by a power inverter".
García Palmieri is the first Hispanic to be designated a "Master" by the American College of Cardiology.
First Puerto Rican Director of the Arecibo Observatory the world's largest single dish radio telescope.
Founded the Association of Registered Nurses of Puerto Rico and authored various books related to her field in which she denounced the discrimination against women and nurses in Puerto Rico.
González Martínez was the first Puerto Rican urologist and a pioneer in the fight against cancer in the island.
The highest ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center and a member of the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame.
Hernández-Pellerano designs, builds and tests the electronics that will regulate the solar array power in order to charge the spacecraft battery and distribute power to the different loads or users inside various spacecraft at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Science Manager for the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III on ISS) at NASA Langley Research Center. Her career has included supersonic aerodynamic research that has resulted in economic advances in supersonic flight.
Hortas is the author and or co-author of over 35 technical papers in the areas of system identification, vibration control and isolation, optimal control design and implementation, optimal actuator/sensor placement, model testing, and experimental verification of control methodologies.
Lopez, a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Arlington, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and recipient of the 2002 Nicholson Medal for Humanitarian Service. He co-authored a book on space weather, "Storms from the Sun".
López Tuero discovered the bug (believed at first to be a germ) which was destroying Puerto Rico's sugar canes.
Liceaga leads the development of proposal guidelines; and the technical, management, and cost evaluation of the proposals For the Explorer Program.
Lugo is the Director of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry within the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, based in Puerto Rico. He is a founding Member of the Society for Ecological Restoration and Member-at-Large of the Board of the Ecological Society of America.
Martinez is the "Flight Systems and Software Branch" software manager for the new Cockpit Motion Facility at NASA Langley Research Center.
Martinez is the lead electrical engineer for the Space Experiment Module program at the Wallops Flight Facility located in Virginia which is part of NASA's Goddard Flight Facility.
Manuel Martínez Maldonado has authored numerous scientific publications and discovered a natriuretic hormone.
Founder the "Red Caribeña de Varamientos".
Chief of Crew Health Care Systems and Exercise Countermeasures in NASA.
As of March 2016, Pagán was listed as an inventor on 73 United States patents and more than 120 published patent applications.
Prewitt Díaz specialized in psychosocial theory. He was the recipient of the American Psychological Association's 2008 International Humanitarian Award.
Reaves is responsible for the design of a viable full-scale solar sail and the development and testing of a scale model solar sail at NASA Langley Research Center.
Invented life-saving water filters based on pottery.
Founded the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo in Mayagüez, has discovered numerous animal species and has written several books.
Rodón-Naveira was the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory.
Chief of the integration Office of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Management Office.
Rodriguez is the director of a test laboratory at NASA. He invented a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee arthritis.
Rodriguez-Trias was a physician and activist. She was the first Latina president of The American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association and the recipient of the Presidential Citizen's Medal.
Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas discovered the bacteria which causes dental cavity.
Monserrate Roman helped build the International Space Station.
Ruaño is a pioneer in the field of personalized medicine and the inventor of molecular diagnostic systems, Coupled Amplification and Sequencing (CAS) System (U.S. patent 5,427,911), used worldwide for the management of viral diseases. Ruaño is President and Founder of Genomas, a genetics-related company and now the bio-tech anchor of Hartford Hospital's Genetic Research Center; he serves as Director of genetics research at the Center.
Salgado works as an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and is a member of the audiovisual ensemble Bailey-Salgado Project.
Born in South Chicago of Puerto Rican and French descent, Sanabria was known for developing mechanical televisions and early terrestrial television broadcasts.
Santiago Delpín wrote the first book in Spanish about organ transplant.
Sierra Sastre was chosen to take part in a new NASA project that will help to determine why astronauts don’t eat enough, having noted that they get bored with spaceship food and end up with problems like weight loss and lethargy that put their health at risk. She will live for four months isolated in a planetary module at a base in Hawaii to simulate what life will be like for astronauts at a future base on Mars. Sierra Sastre is an aspiring astronaut.
Solís made Puerto Rican medical history when he performed the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico.
Soto Toro developed the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System (ASPTMS), an Electronic 3D measuring system.
Scientist in the fields of botany, ethnology and zoology.
His investigations led to the identification of the proper and effective treatment of a type of anemia known as Tropical Espru, the application of complex methods, such as electrocardiography and radioisotope, to be used in clinics and the identification and treatment of the disease which causes heart rheumatism.
Tangüis developed the Tanguis cotton in Peru and saved that nation's cotton industry.
Dr. deGrasse Tyson, whose mother is Puerto Rican, is the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. He is the host of the PBS series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage".
Politicians
19th century
"The Father of Puerto Rico's Autonomy".
"The Father of Puerto Rico's Statehood Movement"
Educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, and independence advocate.
Dávila Monsanto was a co-founder of the "Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico".
De Diego was then elected to the House of Delegates, the only locally elected body of government allowed by the U.S., and which De Diego presided from 1904 to 1917
The first resident commissioner to the United States.
Marxuach Echavarría was the only Puerto Rican to serve as the Mayor of San Juan under both Spanish and American rule. He served in 1897 for the Liberal Reformista Party and again from 1900–01 for the Puerto Rican Republican Party.
Leader of the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico in what is known as the Intentona de Yauco of 1897. Mattei Lluberas served as Mayor of Yauco from 1904-06.
Matienzo Cintrón was a political leader who in his early political career favored Puerto Rican statehood and later became an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence and founder of the Independence Party of Puerto Rico.
Former Resident Commissioner, journalist, politician (father of Luis Muñoz Marín).
First Vice President of the Cortes de Cádiz (1810–1813).
The first president of Puerto Rico's Autonomic Cabinet.
President of the Republic of Puerto Rico (23 September 1868), during the Grito de Lares revolt.
Leader of the Grito de Lares revolt.
Leader of cooperative movement in Puerto Rico.
20th century
Former Resident Commissioner 1977-1985. Mayor of San Juan 1985-1989. 1988 NPP gubernatorial candidate. Secretary of State 1992-1995. Supereme Court Justice 1995-2005.
Former Mayor of San Juan, 1996 PDP gubernatorial candidate.
President and principal leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
Poet, writer, lawyer and politician. Alegría was a founding member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and president of the political organization from 1928-30.
"Champion of Hábeas Corpus" and former Senator in the Puerto Rico legislature.
First woman in Puerto Rico elected to a government legislative body.
First Puerto Rican woman elected to any state assembly, chair New York Hispanic Legislative Caucus.
First Puerto Rican to serve in U.S. Congress.
Former president of Dominican Republic (Puerto Rican father).
Founder of the Puerto Rican Liberal Party, first president of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Former Mayor of Caguas.
President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP).
"The Father of the Puerto Rican Nation", main leader of the Grito de Lares revolution.
Former president of Dominican Republic (Puerto Rican mother).
Former Bronx (New York City) borough president
former member of the New York State Assembly.
served as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, and was the Speaker from 1982 to 1985.
Founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party.
The first President of Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
Founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
Colón Sánchez was an activist and politician who in 1988, became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly.
Former Mayor of Ponce.
Illinois State Senator, first Latino City Clerk of Chicago, and 2011 mayoral candidate.
Former New York State Assemblyman
New York State Senator and religious leader.
New York State Senator
First Puerto Rican cardiologist and Resident Commissioner.
Co-founder of the "Independence Association", one of three political organizations which merged to form the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Figueroa, had changed political ideals and in 1948, was a member of the Partido Estadista Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Statehood Party). That year, he was the only member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives who did not belong to the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico PPD, who opposed the PPD's approval of the infamous Law 53, also known as "Puerto Rico's Gag Law" and "Ley de La Mordaza", which violated the civil rights of those who favor(ed) Puerto Rican independence.
Former Mayor of Miami, Florida.
Former Bronx (New York City) borough president and New York City mayoral candidate.
2008 gubernatorial candidate and founder of Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPR).
Former California State Assemblywoman.
Former New York State Assemblyman, State Senator and U.S. Representative.
Former New York State Assemblyman, in 1937 he became the first Puerto Rican to be elected to public office in the continental United States and in 1956, he also became the first Puerto Rican to be nominated as the Republican candidate for Justice of the City Court.
Youngest Speaker of the House in Puerto Rico's history. The Mayagüez General Post Office was named after him.
United States Representative from Illinois.
Founder of the first Puerto Rico Socialist Party, labor activist and former Resident Commissioner.
Former New York City Council member and political activist.
24th governor of the United States Virgin Islands, serving from 1978 to 1987.
New York State Senator
Connecticut House of Representatives.
Founder of the Movimiento Pro Independencia and the modern Puerto Rican Socialist Party.
The first native-born Puerto Rican to become a district leader of a major political party in New York City.
First Puerto Rican New York State Senator.
New York City councilwoman/activist.
Architect of Operation Bootstrap, former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela (1961–1964).
1992 PDP candidate for governor (daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín).
Senator, last surviving drafter of Puerto Rico Constitution.
New York State Assemblyman, author of nation's first cellphone driving ban.
Mayor of East Chicago, Indiana.
Former Mayor of San Juan, founder Puerto Rican Renewal Party.
Former New York City Council member.
Former Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.
Longest serving President of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Former Speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives.
United States Congressman (Puerto Rican father).
Former Senate President, educator, current columnist for the El Vocero newspaper.
First woman to be elected Mayor of a capital city in the Americas (Western Hemisphere).
Mayor of Bayamón 1977–2001.
Mayor of Passaic, New Jersey.
Mayor of Vieques (1985–2000).
Former three-term Mayor of San Juan and Vice President of the New Progressive Party, former senator.
Most senior Puerto Rican congressman, Chair of House Appropriations subcommittee on Financial Services.
First Hispanic woman appointed as one of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
First Puerto Rican congresswoman, Chair of House Small Business Committee.
First Puerto Rican to be elected mayor in Texas (Killeen).
21st century
17th Surgeon General of the United States.
66th Secretary of State for the State of New York.
Pennsylvania's former Secretary of the Commonwealth, Past President of National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).
Former Secretary of State for the State of New York.
Former New York State Assemblyman and Bronx Borough President (2009–present).
First female mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey and first Puerto Rican woman elected mayor in that state. She is Perth Amboy's first female mayor and New Jersey's first Latina mayor.
Former Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
Congressman representing Idaho's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
13th President of the Puerto Rico Senate, and 22nd Secretary of State/Lieutenant Governor of Puerto Rico.
former New York State Senator.
14th Surgeon General of the U.S.; Vice Admiral, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
67th Secretary of State of New York
Former Attorney General of PR, Resident Commissioner, 2008–present, and NPP President, 2013–present.
Co-chair of winning Hillary Clinton primary campaign, Democratic State Chair and former senator and PDP congressional candidate.
First Republican Party candidate of Puerto Rican ancestry elected to Florida House of Representatives.
Fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Three-term at-large legislator, two terms in House, one in Senate Senate.; Caribbean Business journalist.
Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.
Representative in Florida House of Representatives.
Puerto Rico's first Electoral Comptroller, and longest serving modern Secretary of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Minister of Information and Telecommunication for Jamaica (Puerto Rican mother)
Sports
A
figure skater and Olympic medalist, (Puerto Rican father).
former baseball player, MLB All-Star, third Puerto Rican inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame (2011).
former baseball player.
former baseball player.
NBA player, New York Knicks, (Puerto Rican father).
Born to a Puerto Rican mother, in 1995, the first Hispanic and the first non-black in 52 years to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
soccer player, (Puerto Rican mother).
former NBA player, member and captain of the Puerto Rican national basketball team.
boxer, former IBF Lightweight Champion.
baseball player, Colorado Rockies, (Puerto Rican mother).
baseball player, Chicago Cubs, (Puerto Rican grandfather).
B
baseball player, Chicago Cubs.
former basketball player, most recent recipient of Puerto Rico Olympic Medal of Honor.
NBA player, Minnesota Timberwolves; first Puerto Rican to play for winning team in the NBA Finals.
Olympic, PanAm and Central American games swimmer.
thoroughbred racing jockey.
baseball, outfielder/designated hitter Texas Rangers.
boxer, member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
retired fencer, former Secretary of Sports and Recreation.
baseball player, first Puerto Rican in Major League Baseball.
tennis player.
NBA player, Phoenix Suns, (Puerto Rican mother).
C
baseball player.
boxer/world champion.
boxer/ former world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
swimmer, first Puerto Rican to reach final Championships.
baseball player.
baseball player, member of Baseball Hall of Fame.
baseball player and father of Orlando Cepeda. He was known as "The Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico".
boxer, Chen was Puerto Rico's first professional boxer.
Olympic ice hockey player who played the position of forward on the United States women's ice hockey team. She is of Chinese and Puerto Rican descent.
Bullfighter (Puerto Rican father)
Boxer, former International Boxing Federation welterweight champion (2006–08)
3,000-hit baseball player, first Puerto Rican member of Baseball Hall of Fame.
first Hispanic pro-rollerblader.
known as "The Mother of Puerto Rican Women's Sports", Colberg participated in various athletic competitions in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games celebrated in Panama where she won the Gold Medals in Discus and Javelin throw.
former professional wrestler and member of the WWE Hall of Fame
professional wrestler.
jockey, member of Jockey Hall of Fame.
first pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, 2015 AL Rookie of the Year.
first black Puerto Rican woman in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team.
boxing referee; member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
basketball player, first Puerto Rican born female to play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a guard for the Atlanta Dream.
professional boxer, former light welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight world champion.
volleyball player.
baseball player whose number was retired by the Astros.
boxer; first professional boxer to publicly announced he is gay.
basketball player
NFL football player
Olympic athlete and Olympic bronze medalist who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.
D
BSN basketball player.
basketball player.
first boxer to win cruiserweight world title four times.
boxer, former world champion.
Athlete, runner short track, long-jump, triple jump, gold, silver and bronze medallist, participant to 2 Olympic Games.
former baseball player, New York Mets.
baseball player, Seattle Mariners.
E
inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame (2003).
boxer, former world champion.
baseball player, youngest player ever drafted by an MLB organization. drafted in 2012 by the Kansas City Royals franchise.
baseball player, first Hispanic in the Reds franchise.
boxer, first Puerto Rican world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
boxer/former champion.
F
tennis player, in the 1992 Olympics celebrated in Barcelona, Spain, she became the first female athlete from her native Puerto Rico win an Olympic gold medal. She was also the first female athlete from Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican woman to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
softball, Olympic gold medalist, (Puerto Rican mother).
Swimmer, the first Puerto Rican to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar.
baseball pitcher, first Puerto Rican to win 20 games in Major League.
sailing
G
first Puerto Rican to pitch and win World Series game.
boxer/former world champion and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
boxer, first Olympic medalist under flag of Puerto Rico, 1984 Summer Olympics.
marathon runner.
former baseball player.
H
boxer – He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.
track and field athlete.
NFL football player and former member of the New England Patriots.
wrestling champion and member of the Latin-American Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Olympic gold and silver medalist. Member of the United States women's gymnastics team.
former baseball player
J
baseball player, member of Baseball Hall of Fame (Puerto Rican father).
K
chess International Master & former World Junior Chess Champion.
professional wrestler
L
former Olympic swimmer, holds the island record for most medals won at CAC Games with a total of 17 and 10 gold.
WWE Divas Champion.
basketball player, first Puerto Rican to play in NBA and to play on the NBA play-offs as a member of the 79-80 Los Angeles Lakers.
track and field athlete.
baseball player, Cleveland Indians.
member of the Mexican national volleyball team.
baseball player, Atlanta Braves.
baseball player, Boston Red Sox.
M
German soccer star and coach (Puerto Rican father).
former baseball player.
WWE female wrestler.
Female bodybuilder.,
boxer, former IBF Light Middleweight Champion.
In 2008, became the first Puerto Rican born basketball player to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Olympian boxer
basketball player.
boxer/former world champion.
baseball player
boxer and member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
BSN basketball player.
wrestler, member of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame.
skier, first Puerto Rican member of the U.S. Ski Team.
N
first Puerto Rican to play in Negro leagues.
O
first Puerto Rican to hit home run in World Series.
professional boxer.
Olympic gymnast
boxer, former, Jr. welterweight and lightweight champion; member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
former basketball player, PDP candidate for elective office in 2008.
boxer, first Puerto Rican to win a Silver Olympic medal.
P
Puerto Rican National Volleyball Team.
tennis player.
bullfighter and only Puerto Rican member of the Bullfighting Hall of Fame.
baseball player, second black Puerto Rican in Major League Baseball.
baseball player, New York Yankees.
tennis player, in the 2016 Olympics, celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Puig won Puerto Rico's first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Q
professional boxer, former World Boxing Organization's welterweight champion.
R
former NBA and International basketball player.
professional boxer.
professional football player, Puerto Rico national football team captain and top scorer.
former president of Puerto Rican Olympic Committee.
NBA and International basketball player.
boxer a.k.a. "El Gallo" WBA Super Welterweight Champion.
Former UTEP star point guard and former point guard on Puerto Rico national basketball team.
mixed martial artist.
NFL football player, first Puerto Rican selected to Pro Bowl.
NFL football player, first Puerto Rican in the National Football League and to coach an NFL team.
baseball player, Texas Rangers.
basketball player.
boxer, first Puerto Rican to fight for world heavyweight title.
"The Trainer of Stars" personal trainer and self-made bodybuilding entrepreneur.
boxer, former lightweight and Junior. welterweight champion; member of International Boxing Hall of Fame (2006).
golfer, member of Golf Hall of Fame.
a.k.a. "The Quietman", first Hispanic to become the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
S
female bodyboarding athlete
First Puerto Rican to win a gold medal at the ISA World Surfing Games.
boxer/ former champion.
baseball player.
former MLB 1987 Rookie of the Year
former NBA basketball player
NFL player.
boxer/ former world champion.
U.S. Olympic 2012 Gold Medal Winner. (Puerto Rican father)
U.S. Olympic 2012 Gold Medal Winner.
T
basketball coach
baseball player, San Francisco Giants
holds BSN scoring record.
boxer, member of Boxing Hall of Fame.
boxer/ former world champion.
V
WWE wrestler.
swimmer, current president, PR Swimming Federation and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
baseball player, active leader in strikeouts
boxer/ former champion.
former WWF wrestler.
jockey, member of Jockey Hall of Fame.
first Puerto Rican female boxer, to win a championship.
boxer/ first Puerto Rican to win Olympic medal.
first person of Puerto Rican descent to have coached an NBA team.
basketball player, led the Ponce Lions team to six championships.
W
equestrian
baseball player, New York Yankees.
Olympic Skier, Puerto Rico's first and only female Olympic skier. Wilson was the only woman in the Puerto Rican Ski Team which represented the island in the 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the "XV Olympic Winter Games", celebrated in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Taínos
Supreme Cacique of Puerto Rico who welcomed Juan Ponce de León to the island
Based in Guayanilla
Led the Taíno rebellion of 1511 against Juan Ponce de León and his men.
Based in Guayanilla
area of Arecibo
area of Caguas
area of Utuado
area of Jayuya
area of Humacao
area of Orocovis
area that presently spans between Añasco and Mayagüez. Ordered the drowning of Diego Salcedo
Visual artists
Painter, founder of the Fundación Alfonso Arana.
Painter (Puerto Rican mother).
Sculptor of "El Jibaro Puertorriqueño" monument and Zeno Gandía statue.
Painter and sculptor.
Painter and sculptor from San Juan.
Sculptor.
Painter most known for his silk screening technique.
Sculptor, photographer, video artist.
Artist.
Artist born 1930, President of Hispanic Art League 1979.
New Zealand-born artist, sculptor of La Rogativa statue in San Juan.
Painter and sculptor.
Painter and activist.
Mural artist.
Artist and architect.
Contemporary artist known as the "Puerto Rican Picasso"
Painter.
Grafic artist
Fashion illustrator.
Contemporary painter known for creating socially conscious Verdadism art style since 1992.
Painter and graphic artist.
Visual artist and founder of the El Museo del Barrio
impressionist artist & painter.
Painter, educator, and graphic artist
Painter, educator, and graphic artist
Photographer.
Internationally known abstract expressionist.
Abstract Expressionist Painter
Miscellaneous
Dancer/choreographer
Criminal defense attorney; notable for his defense of accused child murderer Casey Anthony.
Nationalist and former political prisoner.
Celebrity chef, owner of Payá and Pikayo restaurants.
"El Gigante de Carolina", was the tallest Puerto Rican.
Illusionist/magician (Puerto Rican father).
Founder of the Puerto Rican Girl Scouts.
Cause celebre of the feminist movement.
Political commentator, lawyer.
The first Puerto Rican pilot and the first pilot to fly on air mail carrying duties in Puerto Rico.
Reality television contest winner/New York City firefighter who died in September 11 attacks.
Breakdancer, president of Rock Steady Crew.
Puerto Rico's first female aviator.
One-time world's oldest person; oldest verified military veteran ever.
"Commander in chief" ("Responsible General") of the Boricua Popular Army.
Film festival organizer (New York Film Festival); professor of film studies at Columbia University.
Television personality (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy)
Head of CIA division (2004–2008)
"La Cháchara", "La Condesa", "La Comay".
Principal ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet.
Nationalist and former political prisoner.
Nationalist and former political prisoner.
References
List of Puerto Ricans Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA