Profession politician Nationality Puerto Rican | Died 1923 Succeeded by Rafael Rivera Esbri Name Simon Gallart | |
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Spouse(s) Matilde Perdomo Morales | ||
Simón Moret Gallart (1853 - 1923) was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1907 to 1914.
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Early years
Moret Gallart was born in Ponce, in 1863. He was a descendant of a French immigrant by the same name (Moret Gallart) who settled in Puerto Rico in 1816. His parents were Clemente Moret and Francisca Gallart.
Mayoral tenure
He was elected mayor of Ponce in 1906 and took the oath of office in 1907. He was a member of the Union of Puerto Rico Party and defeated Manuel V. Domenech of the Republican Party in a contested election. In 1911, Mayor Moret received from the Government of the United States of America a franchise for the City of Ponce to operate the Port of Ponce in perpetuity. The port of Ponce has been operated by the municipality since then. It is the only sea port in Puerto Rico owned and administered by a municipal body.
Among his mayoral accomplishments are the construction of the Ponce Firefighters Mausoleum at Cementerio Civil de Ponce, which was completed on 2 Abril 1911. He also built the Port of Ponce following an ordinance approved by the Consejo Ejecutivo de Puerto Rico in 1911.
Family life
In 1920, Simón Moret Gallart married Matilde Perdomo Morales. Simón had five children, including three daughters and two sons. He died in 1923 and was buried at Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul.
Legacy
In Ponce there is a public school named after him, Elementary School Simón Moret Gallart, located at Carr 504, Km. 0.8, in barrio Portugues. The school ceased operations in 2013 and as of 2015 the Government had put out bids for its demolition.
Honors
Moret Gallard is honored at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens. Only six other mayors, of over 200 former Ponce mayors, are honored there.