Sila María Calderón

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Calderón and the second or maternal family name is Serra.

Sila Calderón
Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderon at the Pentagon, Feb 27, 2001.jpg
Governor of Puerto Rico
In office
January 2, 2001 – January 2, 2005
Preceded byPedro Rosselló
Succeeded byAníbal Acevedo Vilá
Mayor of San Juan
In office
January 2, 1997 – January 2, 2001
Preceded byHéctor Luis Acevedo
Succeeded byJorge Santini
12th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
In office
1988–1989
GovernorRafael Hernández Colón
Preceded byAlfonso Lopez Chaar
Succeeded byAntonio Colorado
Personal details
Born
Sila María Calderón Serra

(1942-09-23) September 23, 1942 (age 78)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political partyPopular Democratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic
Spouse(s)Francisco González (1964–1975)
Adolfo Krans (1978–2001)
Ramón Cantero (2003–2005)
Childrenincluding Sila
EducationManhattanville College (BA)

Sila María Calderón Serra (born September 23, 1942) is a Puerto Rican politician, businesswoman, and philanthropist who was governor of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first woman elected to that office; Wanda Vázquez Garced, although not elected by the people, would become the second in 2019. Prior to her term as governor, Calderón held various positions in the government of Puerto Rico, including the 12th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico from 1988 to 1989, and Chief of Staff to Governor Rafael Hernández Colón. She was also mayor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, from 1997 to 2001.

Early life and education[edit]

Sila Calderón Serra was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 23, 1942, to entrepreneur César Augusto Calderón and Sila Serra Jesús. Her maternal grandfather Miguel Serra Joy emigrated from Mallorca, Balearic Islands to Puerto Rico in the late 19th century with Calderón granted Spanish citizenship in 2012.[1] She attended high school at the Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Las Madres in Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1964 she graduated with honors from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. She later attended the Graduate School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.[2][3][4][5][6]

Professional career[edit]

First career years: 1973–1985[edit]

Her career began in 1973 when she was named Executive Aide to the Labor Secretary, Luis Silva Recio. Two years later, she was named Special Aide for Economic Development to then Governor, Rafael Hernández Colón.[5]

After Hernández Colón was defeated in the 1976 general elections, Calderón went to work on the private sector working as Director of Business Development at Citibank, N.A. in San Juan.[7] At the time, Citibank in San Juan was one of John Reed's experimental marketing centers. As part of her business development responsibilities, Calderón designed and marketed several new consumer products which significantly increased the earnings of the Retail Division of the Bank.[citation needed] In 1978, she became president of Commonwealth Investment Company, a family real estate concern that owned and managed industrial buildings.[6]

First government positions: 1985–1990[edit]

In 1984, Rafael Hernández Colón was again elected governor and he appointed Calderón as Chief of Staff, being the first woman in that position. In 1988, Hernández Colón named her Puerto Rico's 12th Secretary of State also[3]

During this time, Calderón was also part of the Governor's Economic Adviser Council and the board of directors of the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank and the Center for Specialized Studies in Government Management. She also presided the Inversions Committee of the Industrial Development Company. She was also Secretary General of the Commission that organized the activities of the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of the Americas.[3]

Return to private life: 1989–1995[edit]

Calderón resigned in 1989 and returned to her business endeavors. She served on the boards of major local corporations such as BanPonce, Banco Popular, and Pueblo International. She also served as part of the Committee for Economic Development of Puerto Rico, the Sor Isolina Ferré Foundation, and as President of the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation during 1991 and 1992.[2]

Political career[edit]

Mayor of San Juan: 1997–2001[edit]

Calderón returned to public life in 1995, running in the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) primary for Mayor of San Juan. She won the primary handily over her two opponents by a huge margin.[citation needed] After that, she became President of the Municipal Committee of the PPD in San Juan, and later became part of the board of directors of the Party.[5]

In the 1996 general elections, she was elected Mayor of San Juan, becoming the second woman in the city's history to serve in that office and the first woman elected to the position.[8] As mayor, she undertook one of the largest public works program in the city to date, sponsoring various urban redevelopment projects to revitalize Old San Juan, Condado, Río Piedras, Santurce, and other deteriorated sections of the city. She also initiated the Special Communities Program to assist poor communities' empowerment and economic development.[9][10]

Governor: 2001–2004[edit]

On April 21, 1999, Calderón presented her candidacy to be Governor of Puerto Rico. On May 31, she won the primary and took the presidency of the party, with then-President Aníbal Acevedo Vilá assuming the role of Vice-president. Acevedo Vilá eventually became Calderón's running mate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.[3]

In 2000, Calderón led the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) during a close campaign for governor against Carlos Pesquera (PNP) and Rubén Berríos (PIP). Calderón was elected governor, becoming the first elected female governor in the history of Puerto Rico.[11] After being sworn in, Calderón appointed her two daughters, Sila Mari and María Elena, to serve as First Ladies.[12]

As governor, Calderón took action to eliminate corruption and restore confidence in the government, strengthen public finances and retain credit quality, spurred economic growth and job creation, and gave particular attention to the most disadvantaged sectors. To this program Calderon gave 1.4 Billion dollars to the project of special communities. This money was given to the municipalities of Puerto Rico. Much of this money was diverted to other funds. An investigation about this matter is being currently performed by legislature.

In 2003, Calderón announced her determination to fulfill the commitments of her platform and her decision not to seek re-election in 2004.[3]

On May 26, 2004, Calderón had to deal with a man who entered La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion, with a knife and took a receptionist hostage, demanding to speak directly with Calderón. After Calderón negotiated with the hostage taker, the man dropped the knife and surrendered to the police.[13]

Present[edit]

Calderón is pursuing her private endeavors, a business and trade consulting firm, Inter-American Global Links, Inc. (IGlobaL), with links in Central America, the Caribbean and the United States and is also spearheading the development of an environmentally oriented 500-unit housing project in Puerto Rico. She chairs a philanthropic Foundation which has establish a non-profit and non-partisan entity – The Center for Puerto Rico: Sila M. Calderón Foundation – which gives attention to the issues of poverty, women, urban revitalization, ethical values and social responsibility.[14]

Calderón was elected Trustee of the New York Public Library in 2007 and sits on the advisory boards of Primera Chicago and of the Health and Hospital Company (HHC) Foundation of New York City.[citation needed]

Honours and awards[edit]

During her career, Calderón has received many honors and awards:[2]

  • The Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce named her Outstanding Woman in the Public Sector three times (1975, 1985, 1987).
  • In 2005, she was named as one of the Distinguished Women of the Year by the Product Association of Puerto Rico.
  • In 1987, she was granted the Order of Isabella the Catholic by the Juan Carlos I, King of Spain.
  • In 1988, she was selected Leader of the Year in the field of Public Works by the American Public Works Association, Chapter of Puerto Rico.
  • In 2003, she received the Harvard Foundation Award.
  • In 2004, she received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement in Washington, DC.

Calderón has also received several honorary degrees:

During her tenure, Calderón gave particular attention to strengthening the economic, commercial and cultural ties between Puerto Rico and its Latin American neighbors. Underlining this effort, official visits were paid by Governor Calderón to the Dominican Republic, Panama and Costa Rica in the years 2001, 2002 and 2004. In recognition of her administration's efforts of collaboration between these countries and Puerto Rico, their governments bestowed upon her their most important civil orders: the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella of the Dominican Republic; the Order of Núñez de Balboa of Panama; and the Order of Juan Santamaría of Costa Rica.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Calderón was married to engineer Francisco Xavier González Goenaga from 1964 to 1975.[3] They had three children together: Sila María, Francisco Xavier, and María Elena. Both Sila María and María Elena are attorneys, and they served as "First Ladies" of the Commonwealth during Calderón's governorship.[2] Francisco is an investment banker at RBC Capital Markets.

In 1978, Calderón married entrepreneur Adolfo Krans. They divorced in 2001 after 23 years of marriage.[15]

Calderón married again, during her tenure as governor, with Ramón Cantero Frau, her former Secretary of the Department of Economic Development. The wedding was celebrated on September 10, 2003.[16] They were divorced two years later.[17]

Ancestry[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A su abuelo con ciudadania española Edición". El Vocero de Puerto Rico. October 15, 2012. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Biografía de Sila M. Calderón on Boricuas Hall of Fame (2001)
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sila Calderón Serra: Datos Relevantes on Centro de Estudios y Documentación Internacionales de Barcelona
  4. ^ Biografía: Sila Calderón on Biblioteca Centro para Puerto Rico
  5. ^ a b c Biografía de Sila Calderón on LexJuris
  6. ^ a b Sila Calderón on LaBiografia.com
  7. ^ Sila M. Calderón on Biblioteca Centro para Puerto Rico
  8. ^ Consulta de Resultados: Municipio de San Juan on CEEPUR
  9. ^ Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza : Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 (Primera edición ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  10. ^ "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  11. ^ Elecciones Generales 2000: Resumen del Escrutinio on CEEPUR.org
  12. ^ Boricuas Hall of Fame: Biografía de Sila M. Calderón
  13. ^ Writer, Matthew Hay Brown, Sentinel Staff. "GOVERNOR ENDS HOSTAGE STANDOFF IN PUERTO RICO". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Fundacion Sila M. Calderón www.fundacionsilamcalderon.org". Fundación Sila M. Calderón. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Ahora es oficial el divorcio on Primera Hora; Díaz Alcaide, Maritza (November 7, 2001)
  16. ^ Boda de Sila Calderón on BodaClickPR
  17. ^ Comprometidos Cantero Frau y Ada Torres Toro on El Nuevo Día; Hernández, Yanira (August 20, 2010)
  18. ^ a b Maria de Jesús Jesús mentioned in the record of Sila Apolonia Serra Jesús also paternal grandparents.
  19. ^ Maria De Jesús Y Jesús De Serra Flor United States Census, 1920 (View original document)
  20. ^ a b Sila Apolonia Serra Jesús (Shows father's birthplace and name) – Puerto Rico, Civil Registration
  21. ^ Honra a su abuelo con ciudadania española Edición 15 de Octubre 2012 by El Vocero de Puerto Rico (Page: 10)
  22. ^ Sila Apolonia Serra Jesús – Puerto Rico, Civil Registration

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by
Alfonso Lopez Chaar 		Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
1988–1989 		Succeeded by
Antonio Colorado
Preceded by
Héctor Luis Acevedo 		Mayor of San Juan
1997–2001 		Succeeded by
Jorge Santini
Preceded by
Pedro Rosselló 		Governor of Puerto Rico
2001–2005 		Succeeded by
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Party political offices
Preceded by
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá 		Chair of the Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party
1999–2003 		Succeeded by
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Preceded by
Héctor Luis Acevedo 		Popular Democratic nominee for Governor of Puerto Rico
2000
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