Talk:Governor of Puerto Rico

Head of the Commonwealth
Is the Governor, while serving as the head of government of the Commonwealth, the head of the Commonwealth as well? She/he appoints judges, a power normally vested in the hands of heads of state. &mdash; Instantnood 18:30, 11 April 2006 (UTC)


 * The head of state of the Commonwealth is actually the President of the United States. However, when the U.S. allowed Puerto Rico to organize themselves into a commonwealth, they allowed the governor of the island to appoint the judges. So, in other words, the Governor of Puerto Rico has all the powers of the head of state, only because the U.S. Congress has delegated to him/her that power. Yet, Constitutionaly, the official head of state of the island is the President of the U.S. You may want to check out the Territorial Clause article for more info.&lt;&lt;Coburn_Pharr&gt;&gt; 22:02, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Is the governor both the head of the Commonwealth and head of government? She/he is vested with the power ordinarily held by heads of state of sovereign states. &mdash; Instantnood 17:17, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

This article should include a table listing every Governor of Puerto, at least from 1898 to the present, if not since Juan Ponce De León200.50.30.126 04:07, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Numbering scheme for governors
Out of curiosity, why was the numbering scheme changed for the elected governors? Adding the "term" column was a nice touch, but it makes no sense to leave Hernandez Colon's second gubernatorial administration unnumbered. This sets off all of his successors by one. He should be listed as the 4th and 6th Governor, much like Grover Cleveland is listed as the 22nd and 24th President.The Original Historygeek (talk) 07:52, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I've gone ahead and adjusted this back to the correct numbering scheme given that R Hernandez Colon headed two, nonconsecutive gubernatorial administrations (the 4th and the 6th), unless of course someone has information to the contrary.The Original Historygeek (talk) 19:25, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I see the numbering scheme has been reverted back to the old, incorrect one but no reason for this has been given. I ask again, how can Rafael Hernandez Colon possibly serve as the 4th governor of Puerto Rico after the 5th governor? This, second gubernatorial administration- nonconsecutive to his first- should likewise be numbered separately. If I am wrong and there is a reason why it shouldn't be noted, please post here.The Original Historygeek (talk) 01:29, 6 February 2009 (UTC)


 * The numbering of the heads of government is left to the tradition of the country in question. For example, President Cleveland is both the 22nd and 24th President of the US, but on the other hand, Israli Prime Ministers do not receive a new numbering when they receive a second none consecutive term. (Check Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu). Every single news agency in Puerto Rico has covered Fortuno as the 9th Governor of Puerto Rico. I suggest that on Hernandez Colon second term (1985-1993) that simply "second term" be put on the number column. Check Prime Minister of Israel.

Sources that use the term "9th Governor" for fortuno


 * Dialogo
 * Primera Hora
 * Univision

And this one is the most important, an official executive order from the Governor that states that Fortuno is the ninth Governo.


 * Executive order

I will reverse the numbering. &lt;&lt;Coburn_Pharr&gt;&gt; (talk) 04:28, 24 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Well, that settles it then- thanks for the info.The Original Historygeek (talk) 19:47, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

First native governor
This section needs to be reworked- Pinero's administration does not mark the first time in history that a native Puerto Rican has held the highest office on the island. That distinction goes to Juan Ponce de Leon II who was born on the island back in 16th century. If under US administration is meant, then Juan Bernardo Huyke, who served as an interim governor (but a governor nonetheless) for a brief time in 1923 was first.The Original Historygeek (talk) 07:40, 4 February 2009 (UTC)

I like the last edit done by Marine 69-71 best, but this sentence: "This marked the first time in history that a native Puerto Rican held the highest office on the island" is still wrong- especially given the section right before it listing two native governors who have already held the highest office on the island. It should either be struck entirely, or reworked, something along the lines that this marked the first time that a native Puerto Rican had been appointed to the highest office under U.S. administration. For example, see how Pinero's administration is noted in the infobox on the List of Governors of Puerto Rico page.The Original Historygeek (talk) 01:23, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

The three, extremely brief sections dealing with "first" PR governors really clutter up the article, I think. These can be combined- with subheadings to differentiate each original section- and improve the flow of the article. I'll give it a try.The Original Historygeek (talk) 20:48, 13 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Actually, it looks much better without subsection titles too. And I moved the sentence about the adoption of the PR constitution to the beginning of the next section with deals with the governor's office in the same document.  More appropriate there.The Original Historygeek (talk) 20:53, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with File:Luis Muñoz Marín.jpg
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Damned awful article, April 2018
This article is abysmally short on references. So I added a couple of blatant reminders today. OK, so the 'governor' from 1914 to 1924 was Howard Kern (from Iowa). Who in the hell was he? How'd he get stuck with this rotten job? Why did he resign? (At least this article mentions him, unlike History_of_Puerto_Rico. Which is why I came to this article ... which tells me little more, and cites none of it.) OK, so Kern authored the 1916 Jones–Shafroth Act. All by himself, really? No citations for this assertion either ... and a whole lot more. Sometimes it seems as though WP coverage of US history is willfully shabby when it comes to embarassments. This history article is an embarassing, prime example of that dismal truth. Wikipedia always tells students not to just trust the articles, but to look at the citations. Good luck kids? Besides editing WP, I actually use it as a source. But not today. Without citations, the article is 'worth less'. This is classified as an 'Unassessed United States Territories article'. If a history of millions of US citizens isn't worth assessing? what are we doing here? What's it for? Twang (talk) 01:40, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Please clarify when it says “has the duty to enforce state laws”
Please clarify when it said, “has the duty to enforce state laws” because Puerto Rico is not a state. I edited it to it saying “has the duty to enforce territorial laws”, but the page for territorial laws has not been created. Is it because it is a US Commonwealth territory? Please explain, thanks! Bubba2018 (talk) 21:45, 4 December 2018 (UTC)Bubba2018

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 * Wanda Vázquez, governor de porto rico.jpg

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"Head of state"
The article described the governor as PR's head of state as well as head of government, but PR isn't a sovereign country but a US territory. The head of state is the US President. I've taken that out. Richard75 (talk) 15:54, 22 May 2021 (UTC)


 * And what does being an unincorporated territory of the US mean? When people in P.R. do not have the right to vote for their head of state, is the president of the US really their head of state? People in Puerto Rico, because of its 'unincorporated status' and the Insular Cases, do not vote in the Presidential elections, do not participate in electing a head of state. I love it when people try to simplify Puerto Rico. Everyone is an expert on Puerto Rico. So, think about it. Maybe that is why the article stated "head of state". In PR, the head of state is the governor.--The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 11:24, 18 January 2023 (UTC)


 * See that "The territories belong to but are not part of the United States." --The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 00:40, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Its relationship with the United States
"There is a political and economic union between PR and the US"... etc. etc.

On 3 July 1950 the Congress of the USA adopted Public Law No. 600 and under its terms, "The Congress of the USA has no control of, and may not intervene in, the internal affairs of Puerto Rico." --The Eloquent Peasant (talk) 08:28, 19 January 2023 (UTC)