# Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico

On June 8, 1950, the United States government approved Public Law 600, authorizing Puerto Rico to draft its own constitution in 1951. The Constitutional Assembly (Spanish: Asamblea Constituyente) or Constitutional Convention of Puerto Rico met for a period of several months between 1951 and 1952 in which the document was written. The framers had to follow only two basic requirements established under Public Law 600. The first was the document must establish a republican form of government for the island. The second was the inclusion of a Bill of Rights.
The Constitution of Puerto Rico renamed the body politic until then known as the "People of Puerto Rico", and henceforth known as the "Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" (Estado Libre Asociado).

## Members of the Constitutional Assembly

| # | Delegate | Party | Constituency | Residence | Committee assignments | Cmtes. | Signing order | Notes |
| 73 | Manuel Acevedo Rosario | PPD | Aguadilla | Camuy | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 32 | |
| 79 | Juan Alemañy Silva | PEP | Guayama | Guayama | Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 1 | 33 | |
| 29 | Arcilio Alvarado Alvarado | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan (Santurce) | Bill of Rights Judicial Branch Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 3 | 34 | |
| 92 | Enrique Álvarez Vicente | PSO | Arecibo | Utuado | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 35 | |
| 42 | Francisco L. Anselmi Rodríguez | PPD | Ponce | Coamo | Legislative Branch Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 26 | |
| 37 | Francisco A. Arrillaga Gaztambide | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan (Hato Rey) | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 36 | |
| 74 | Carmelo Ávila Medina | PPD | Humacao | Naguabo | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 37 | |
| 77 | José Bartolo Barceló Oliver | PPD | Ponce | Adjuntas | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 38 | Mayor of Adjuntas (1944,1948,1957-1968) |
| 39 | Ramón Barreto Pérez | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan (Hato Rey) | Legislative Branch | 1 | 39 | |
| 32 | Ramón Barrios Sánchez | PSO | At-large | Bayamón | Rules and Bylaws Scheduling | 1 | 40 | |
| 28 | Jaime Benítez Rexach | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Río Piedras) | Bill of Rights Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 10 | |
| 55 | Francisco Berio Suárez | PPD | Guayama | Comerío | Scheduling | 1 | 41 | |
| 59 | Virgilio Brunet Maldonado | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Hato Rey) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Bill of Rights | 2 | 42 | |
| 53 | Agustín Burgos Rivera | PPD | Ponce | Villalba | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 43 | |
| 41 | Mario Canales Torresola | PPD | Ponce | Jayuya | Legislative Branch | 1 | 44 | Former-mayor of Jayuya |
| 61 | Ángel M. Candelario Arce | PPD | Mayagüez | Peñuelas | Judicial Branch | 1 | 45 | |
| 01 | Ernesto Carrasquillo Quiñones | PPD | Humacao | Yabucoa | Bill of Rights | 1 | 19 | Former-mayor of Yabucao |
| 17 | Dionisio Casillas Casillas | PPD | Humacao | Humacao | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 46 | |
| 68 | José A. Cintrón Rivera | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | Bill of Rights | 1 | 47 | |
| 25 | Luis Alfredo Colón Velázquez | PPD | Aguadilla | Moca | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Rules and Bylaws Executive Branch | 3 | 30 | |
| 89 | Ramiro L. Colón Castaño | PEP | Ponce | Ponce | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures | 1 | — | Only delegate not to sign the Constitution. Then-general manager of the Cooperative of Coffee Growers of Puerto Rico. |
| 04 | Juan Dávila Díaz | PPD | Arecibo | Manatí | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 31 | |
| 51 | José M. Dávila Monsanto | PPD | Guayama | Guayama | Judicial Branch | 1 | 25 | |
| 58 | Lionel Fernández Méndez | PPD | Guayama | Cayey | Rules and Bylaws Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 48 | |
| — | Antonio Fernós Isern | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | — | 0 | 01 | Then-Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico |
| 30 | Luis A. Ferré Aguayo | PEP | Ponce | Ponce | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 49 | |
| 75 | Alcides Figueroa Oliva | PPD | Aguadilla | Añasco | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 50 | |
| 13 | Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras | PEP | At-large | Cataño | Scheduling Bill of Rights | 2 | 51 | |
| 18 | Ernesto Juan Fonfrías Rivera | PPD | San Juan II | Toa Baja (Carr. 2 K-19) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Judicial Branch | 2 | 52 | |
| 23 | Jorge Font Saldaña | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 24 | |
| 78 | Juan R. García Delgado | PEP | Aguadilla | Hatillo | Rules and Bylaws Accounting and Publications | 2 | 53 | |
| 12 | Miguel Ángel García Méndez | PEP | Mayagüez | Mayagüez | Scheduling Judicial Branch | 2 | 54 | |
| 34 | Genaro Antonio Gautier Dapena | PPD | San Juan I | Caguas (La Muda) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures | 1 | 55 | Then-first spouse of San Juan |
| 38 | Rubén Gaztambide Arrillaga | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan (Río Piedras) | Bill of Rights Legislative Branch | 2 | 18 | |
| 90 | Fernando José Géigel Sabat | PEP | San Juan I | San Juan (Santurce) | Legislative Branch | 1 | 56 | |
| 62 | José Rosario Gelpí Bosch | PEP | Mayagüez | Mayagüez | Rules and Bylaws Executive Branch | 2 | 57 | |
| 35 | Darío Goitía Montalvo | PPD | Arecibo | Arecibo | Executive Branch | 1 | 58 | |
| 10 | María Libertad Gómez Garriga | PPD | At-large | Utuado | Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 1 | 02 | Only female member. |
| 46 | Héctor González Blanes | PEP | San Juan I | San Juan (Santurce) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Bill of Rights | 2 | 59 | |
| 02 | Andrés Grillasca Salas | PPD | Ponce | Ponce | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 60 | Then-mayor of Ponce |
| 26 | Víctor Gutiérrez Franqui | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | Judicial Branch Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 03 | |
| 14 | Celestino Iriarte Miró | PEP | At-large | Cataño (Carr. Cataño) | Accounting and Publications Legislative Branch Judicial Branch | 3 | 05 | |
| 69 | Jesús Izcoa Moure | PPD | San Juan II | Naranjito | Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 1 | 61 | |
| 21 | Lorenzo Lagarde Garcés | PPD | Ponce | Ponce | Judicial Branch | 1 | 62 | |
| 91 | Ramón Llobet Díaz, Jr. | PEP | San Juan II | Guaynabo | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 63 | |
| 80 | Ramiro Martínez Sandín | PSO | Arecibo | Vega Baja | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 64 | |
| 43 | Juan Meléndez Báez | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan | Bill of Rights | 1 | 65 | |
| 60 | Ramón Mellado Parsons | PPD | San Juan II | San Juan (Río Piedras) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures | 1 | 66 | |
| 56 | Bernardo Méndez Jiménez | PPD | Aguadilla | San Sebastián | Bill of Rights | 1 | 27 | |
| 72 | Armando Mignucci Calder | PPD | Mayagüez | Yauco | Scheduling | 1 | 67 | |
| 22 | José Mimoso Raspaldo | PPD | Guayama | Caguas | Rules and Bylaws | 1 | 22 | |
| 45 | Pablo Morales Otero | PPD | San Juan II | San Juan (Santurce) | Executive Branch | 1 | 68 | |
| 09 | Luis Muñoz Marín | PPD | At-large | San Juan | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures | 1 | 04 | Then-Governor of Puerto Rico |
| 81 | Luis Muñoz Rivera | PPD | San Juan I | San Juan (Hato Rey) | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 69 | |
| 76 | Eduardo Negrón Benítez | PPD | Aguadilla | San Sebastián | Rules and Bylaws | 1 | 70 | |
| 07 | Luis A. Negrón López | PPD | Mayagüez | Sabana Grande | Legislative Branch Executive Branch | 2 | 09 | |
| 84 | Abraham Nieves Negrón | PPD | Guayama | Guayama | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 71 | |
| 48 | Mario Orsini Martínez | PSO | Humacao | Juncos | Judicial Branch Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 72 | |
| 06 | Benjamín Ortiz Ortiz | PPD | At-large | Guaynabo | Scheduling Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 12 | |
| 24 | Cruz Ortiz Stella | PPD | Humacao | Humacao | Rules and Bylaws Bill of Rights | 1 | 13 | |
| 15 | Lino Padrón Rivera | PSO | At-large | Vega Baja | Bill of Rights Legislative Branch Judicial Branch | 3 | 06 | |
| 03 | Santiago R. Palmer Díaz | PPD | Mayagüez | San Germán | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 14 | |
| 47 | Norman E. Parkhurst | PEP | San Juan II | Bayamón | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 73 | |
| 86 | Francisco Paz Granela | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | Bill of Rights | 1 | 74 | |
| 20 | Santiago Polanco Abreu | PPD | Arecibo | Isabela | Judicial Branch Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 20 | |
| 11 | Samuel R. Quiñones Quiñones | PPD | At-large | Carolina (Carr. Isla Verde) | Executive Branch Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 2 | 07 | President, Senate |
| 49 | Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano | PPD | Mayagüez | San Germán | Legislative Branch | 1 | 75 | |
| 08 | Ernesto Ramos Antonini | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Hato Rey) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Judicial Branch | 2 | 08 | President, House of Representatives |
| 88 | Ramón María Ramos de Jesús | PEP | Guayama | Aibonito | Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 1 | 76 | |
| 16 | Antonio Reyes Delgado | PSO | At-large | Arecibo | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Bill of Rights Executive Branch | 3 | 77 | |
| 85 | Dolores Rivera Candelaria | PPD | Arecibo | Utuado | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 78 | Then-mayor of Utuado |
| 44 | Heraclio H. Rivera Colón | PPD | San Juan II | Toa Alta | Scheduling Legislative Branch | 2 | 21 | |
| 64 | Alejo Rivera Morales | PSO | Humacao | Ceiba | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 79 | |
| 33 | Álvaro Rivera Reyes | PPD | Humacao | Río Grande | Bill of Rights Executive Branch | 2 | 16 | |
| 71 | Carmelo Rodríguez García | PPD | Arecibo | Arecibo | Executive Branch | 1 | 80 | |
| 70 | Carlos Román Benítez | PPD | San Juan II | San Juan (Santurce) | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Scheduling | 2 | 81 | |
| 36 | Alfonso Román García | PPD | Humacao | Fajardo | Accounting and Publications | 1 | 23 | |
| 50 | Joaquín Rosa Gómez | PPD | Arecibo | Manatí | Rules and Bylaws | 1 | 82 | |
| 54 | Alberto E. Sánchez Nazario | PPD | At-large | San Juan (Santurce) | Bill of Rights | 1 | 83 | |
| 83 | Ángel Sandín Martínez | PPD | Arecibo | Vega Baja | Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 1 | 28 | Then-mayor of Vega Baja |
| 52 | Luis Santaliz Capestany | PPD | Aguadilla | Las Marías | Rules and Bylaws | 1 | 84 | |
| 05 | Yldefonso Solá Morales | PPD | Guayama | Caguas | Executive Branch Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 11 | |
| 31 | Juan Bautista Soto González | PEP | At-large | Gurabo | Bill of Rights Judicial Branch | 2 | 85 | |
| 67 | Rafael Torrech Genovés | PPD | San Juan II | Bayamón | Executive Branch | 1 | 86 | Mayor of Bayamón |
| 40 | Lucas Torres Santos | PPD | Ponce | Orocovis | Scheduling | 1 | 87 | Former-mayor of Orocovis |
| 82 | Pedro Torres Díaz | PPD | Humacao | Gurabo | Scheduling | 1 | 88 | |
| 27 | José Trías Monge | PPD | At-large | Guaynabo | Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures Judicial Branch | 2 | 15 | |
| 65 | Augusto Valentín Vizcarrondo | PPD | Mayagüez | Mayagüez | Legislative Branch | 1 | 89 | |
| 66 | Baudilio Vega Berríos | PPD | Mayagüez | Mayagüez | Rules and Bylaws | 1 | 90 | Then-mayor of Mayagüez |
| 19 | Sigfredo Vélez González | PPD | Arecibo | Arecibo | Scheduling | 1 | 29 | Former-mayor of Arecibo |
| 63 | José Veray, Jr. Hernández | PEP | Aguadilla | Aguadilla | Executive Branch Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 2 | 91 | |
| 87 | José Villares Rodríguez | PPD | Guayama | Caguas | Judicial Branch | 1 | 17 | |

## Committees

Ten permanent committees and their officers and members were designated by the body's president, Antonio Fernós Isern, during the 25 September 1951 session, which was followed by the naming of additional delegates and several substations on 27 September. All presidents, vice presidents and secretaries were from the PPD. These committees were grouped by their purposes as follows:
Functions committees (3):
* Rules and Bylaw
* Accounting and Publications
* Scheduling
Constitutional committees (7):
* Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures
* Bill of Rights
* Legislative Branch
* Executive Branch
* Judicial Branch
* Transitory Provisions and General Affairs
* Drafting, Style and Enrolling
| Committee | Membership | President | Vice President | Secretary | Members |
| Preamble, Amendment and Ordinance Procedures | 15 | Luis Muñoz Marín | José Trías Monge | Jorge Font Saldaña | Virgilio Brunet Maldonado Ramiro L. Colón Castaño Luis Alfredo Colón Velázquez Luis A. Ferré Aguayo Ernesto Juan Fonfrías Rivera Genaro Antonio Gautier Dapena Héctor González Blanes Ramiro Martínez Sandín Ramón Mellado Parsons Ernesto Ramos Antonini Antonio Reyes Delgado Carlos Román Benítez |
| Rules and Bylaws | 11 | Cruz Ortiz Stella | José Mimoso Raspaldo | Luis Alfredo Colón Velázquez | Ramón Barrios Sánchez Lionel Fernández Méndez Juan R. García Delgado José Rosario Gelpí Bosch Eduardo Negrón Benítez Joaquín Rosa Gómez Luis Santaliz Capestany Baudilio Vega Berríos |
| Accounting and Publications | 11 (12) | Santiago R. Palmer Díaz | Alfonso Román García | Juan Dávila Díaz | Enrique Álvarez Vicente Francisco A. Arrillaga Gaztambide Agustín Burgos Rivera Dionisio Casillas Casillas Juan R. García Delgado Celestino Iriarte Miró Luis Muñoz Rivera Abraham Nieves Negrón Norman E. Parkhurst |
| Scheduling | 11 | Benjamín Ortiz Ortiz | Heraclio H. Rivera Colón | Sigfredo Vélez González | Francisco Berio Suárez Ramón Barrios Sánchez Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras Miguel Ángel García Méndez Armando Mignucci Calder Carlos Román Benítez Pedro Torres Díaz Lucas Torres Santos |
| Bill of Rights | 17 | Jaime Benítez Rexach | Ernesto Carrasquillo Quiñones | Bernardo Méndez Jiménez | Arcilio Alvarado Alvarado Virgilio Brunet Maldonado José A. Cintrón Rivera Leopoldo Figueroa Carreras Rubén Gaztambide Arrillaga Héctor González Blanes Juan Meléndez Báez Cruz Ortiz Stella Lino Padrón Rivera Francisco Paz Granela Antonio Reyes Delgado Álvaro Rivera Reyes Alberto E. Sánchez Nazario Juan Bautista Soto González |
| Legislative Branch | 11 | Luis A. Negrón López | Rubén Gaztambide Arrillaga | Francisco L. Anselmi Rodríguez | Ramón Barreto Pérez Mario Canales Torresola Fernando José Géigel Sabat Celestino Iriarte Miró Lino Padrón Rivera Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano Heraclio H. Rivera Colón Augusto Valentín Vizcarrondo |
| Executive Branch | 11 (12) | Samuel R. Quiñones Quiñones | Álvaro Rivera Reyes | Luis A. Negrón López | Luis Alfredo Colón Velázquez José Rosario Gelpí Bosch Darío Goitía Montalvo Pablo Morales Otero Antonio Reyes Delgado Carmelo Rodríguez García Yldefonso Solá Morales Rafael Torrech Genovés José Veray, Jr. Hernández |
| Judicial Branch | 15 | Ernesto Ramos Antonini | José Villares Rodríguez | José M. Dávila Monsanto | Arcilio Alvarado Alvarado Ángel M. Candelario Arce Ernesto Juan Fonfrías Rivera Miguel Ángel García Méndez Víctor Gutiérrez Franqui Celestino Iriarte Miró Lorenzo Lagarde Garcés Mario Orsini Martínez Lino Padrón Rivera Santiago Polanco Abreu Juan Bautista Soto González José Trías Monge |
| Transitory Provisions and General Affairs | 15 | Yldefonso Solá Morales | Santiago Polanco Abreu | Ángel Sandín Martínez | Manuel Acevedo Rosario Francisco L. Anselmi Rodríguez Carmelo Ávila Medina José Bartolo Barceló Oliver Luis A. Ferré Aguayo Alcides Figueroa Oliva Andrés Grillasca Salas Ramón Llobet Díaz, Jr. Ramiro Martínez Sandín Dolores Rivera Candelaria Alejo Rivera Morales José Veray, Jr. Hernández |
| Drafting, Style and Enrolling | 11 (12) | Víctor Gutiérrez Franqui | María Libertad Gómez Garriga | Arcilio Alvarado Alvarado Jorge Font Saldaña | Juan Alemañy Silva Jaime Benítez Rexach Lionel Fernández Méndez Jesús Izcoa Moure Mario Orsini Martínez Benjamín Ortiz Ortiz Samuel R. Quiñones Quiñones Ramón María Ramos de Jesús |