Sánchez Vilella, Roberto (1913–1997)

Roberto Sánchez Vilella (b. 19 February 1913; d. 25 March 1997), governor of Puerto Rico (1965–1969). Born in Ponce, Sánchez Vilella studied civil engineering at Ohio State University, graduating in 1934. He was one of the founders of the Partido Democrático Popular (PDP). From 1940 on, he occupied important posts in the public administration of Puerto Rico. Sánchez became governor in 1965 and interpreted his victory as a mandate for change. Because of his governing style, however, he soon ran into problems with the old guard of the party. Although for personal reasons he announced that he would retire from politics upon completing his term as governor in 1969, he nevertheless sought reelection in 1968. When he was unsuccessful, however, he left the PDP and joined the Partido del Pueblo (PP). Because of the PP's inability to become a registered party, Sánchez failed to be elected a member of the legislature in 1972. After he retired from politics, he became a professor in the School of Public Administration of the University of Puerto Rico. In 1997, he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died later that year.

See alsoPuerto Rico, Political Parties: Overview .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acevedo, Héctor Luís. Los administradores en la modernización de Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto Metropolitano, 2004.

Muñoz Marín, Luis, Nestor R. Duprey Salgado, and Juan R. Fernández. Conversaciónes en el bohio: Luis Muñoz Marín y Roberto Sánchez Vilella en sus propias palabras. San Juan, P.R: Fundación Luís Muñoz Marín, 2005.

Sánchez Vilella, Roberto, and Mario Negrón Portillo. Roberto Sánchez Vilella: Servidor público por excelencia: Documentos para la historia. Río Piedras, P.R.: Escuela Graduada de Administración Pública, Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1998.

                                Oscar G. PelÁez Almengor