page_title: Luis Muñoz Marín
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Luis Muñoz Marín / Political career / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: Title: David Dubinsky, Governor Munoz, and an unidentified man break ground for the ILGWU - IBEC Santiago Iglesias housing project in Puerto Rico, 1957. Date: 1957 Photographer: Unknown Photo ID: 5780PB29F3G Collection: International Ladies Garment Workers Union Photographs (1885-1985) Repository: The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives in the ILR School at Cornell University is the Catherwood Library unit that collects, preserves, and makes accessible special collections documenting the history of the workplace and labor relations. www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/kheel Notes: No additional information available. Copyright: The copyright status of this image is unknown. It may also be subject to third party rights of privacy or publicity. Images are being made available for purposes of private study, scholarship, and research. The Kheel Center would like to learn more about this image and hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified so that we may make the necessary corrections. Tags: Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives,Cornell University Library,Labor Leaders, Public Figures, Union Housing, Puerto Ricans, Ceremonies
context_page_description: José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth."
  In 1948 he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico, spearheading an administration that engineered profound economic, political and social reforms; accomplishments that were internationally lauded by many politicians, statesmen, political scientists and economists of the period. Muñoz Marín was instrumental in the suppression of the Nationalist Party and its efforts to gain independence.
context_section_description: During the early stages of World War II, many thousands of Puerto Ricans were drafted to serve in the United States Army. This eased problems of overpopulation in the main island. Muñoz Marín promoted the construction of public housing projects to resolve a housing shortage. During the war he established low-interest scholarships and loans for the residents who were not drafted.  To address health issues, he established free public clinics, which opened throughout Puerto Rico.
  In 1944 the Popular Democratic Party won a majority again in the election, repeating the political victory of the previous elections. In 1947, Congress approved legislation allowing Puerto Ricans to elect their own Governor. Muñoz Marín successfully campaigned for the post and was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico and the second Puerto Rican to serve in that post.
caption: David Dubinsky, Governor Munoz, and an unidentified man break ground for the ILGWU - IBEC Santiago Iglesias housing project in Puerto Rico, 1957
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