Felisa rincon de gautier biography of martin
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Felisa Rincón de Gautier: Political Pioneer
Hispanic women usually do not appear in history books. It is time to end that. Felisa Rincón de Gautier is one of the Hispanic female historical figures forgotten in the annals of history. Felisa was a Puerto Rican businesswoman, suffragette, social activist, politician, ambassador, and the first woman in the history of the Americas to be elected as mayor of a capital city.
Early Life
Felisa Rincón de Gautier, also known as Doña Fela, was born in Ceiba, Puerto Rico on January 9, Enrique Rincón Plumey, her father, was an attorney, and Rita Marrero Rivera, her mother, was a teacher. Felisa had to leave school to take care of her eight siblings after her mother died giving birth. She did not finish high school, but her father sent her to work with her uncle at a pharmacy where she learned the profession. Besides working as a pharmacist, Felisa worked as a seamstress in the states. She came back to Puerto Rico with enough experience t
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DOÑA FELA&#;S DREAM: THE STORY OF PUERTO RICO&#;S FIRST FEMALE MAYOR, by Monica Brown and Rosa Ibarra, Little, Brown Books for ung Readers, Sept. 3, , Hardcover, $ (ages )
Learn the story of Puerto Rico’s first female mayor in Doña Fela’s Dream, written bygd Monica Brown and illustrated Rosa Ibarra.
Though she was born before women on her island were allowed to vote, Felisa Rincón de Gautier did not let that stop her from becoming the first female mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in Easily spotted on the streets of San Juan by her flair and the jasmine flowers braided into her hair, she radiated style and grace. Doña Fela, as she affectionately came to be called, loved her city.
Doña Fela was always ready to listen to problems and find solutions. With determination and resilience, she brought lasting change to the island. Doña Fela’s inspiring story as a visionary leader is brought to life on the page through stunning paintings that evoke the vibrant colors and culture of • Felisa Rincón de Gautier, affectionately known to the public as Doña Fela, became the first female mayor of a capital city in the Americas when she was appointed mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico in She went on to win reelection four times, serving in office until Doña Fela devoted herself to public welfare, working to improve housing, public health, and employment for the city’s most vulnerable residents. Doña Fela was born on January 9, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, 33 miles southeast of San Juan, to an upper-class family. Her father, Enrique Rincón Plumey, was a lawyer and her mother, Rita Marrero Rivera, was a schoolteacher. The family moved to San Juan when Doña Fela was ten years old. The eldest of nine children, she was often sent to live with relatives and even left school to care for her younger siblings after the death of her mother. As a teen, Doña Fela became a talented seamstress. Interested in studying fashion, she moved to New York City as a young adult to learn design an