Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos was born on September 12, 1891. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos (June 29, 1893 – April 21, 1965) was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and a leading figure in a small Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the president and spokesperson of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico from 1930 until his death. He led the nationalist revolts of October 1950 against the United States government in Puerto Rico. Albizu Campos spent a total of twenty-six years in prison at various times for his Puerto Rican independence activities. Campos graduated from Harvard Law School in 1921 with mediocre grades. He dropped out of law school three times, the last one without completing Evidence and Corporations. . It is claimed that his African heritage led to his professors delaying two of his final exams in order to keep Albizu Campos from graduating on time, however, other African American students excelled at the same time, such as Charles Hamilton Houston and Albizu Campos' delay was caused by his failing the Evidence and Corporation exams the first time. Sollors, Werner, et al., editors. Blacks at Harvard: A Documentary History of African-American Experience At Harvard and Radcliffe. NYU Press, 1993. It is also claimed that during his time at Harvard, he became involved in the Irish struggle for independence, but there is no evidence supporting that claim. He spoke six languages. Because of his oratorical skill, he was hailed as El Maestro (The Teacher) by his followers. In 1924, Albizu Campos joined the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and became its vice president. He was elected president of the party in 1930. He soon started transforming the Nationalist Party and created a paramilitary group following the models of Benito Mussolini's fascists and Adolf Hitler's Nazis. Although there was a strong independence movement in Puerto Rico during the 1930s that was led by the Liberal leader Antonio R. Barcelo (The Liberal Party counted with about 45% of the total vote in the island) Albizu Campos refused to work with them, threatened them and demanded that the Liberal Party dissolves itself and all of the members follow him, despite the fact that Albizu Campos did not count with more than 5% of the total vote.. The Nationalist Party under Albizu Campos' leadership dedicated itself to intimidation, assassinations, and bombings that terrorized the Island during the 1930s.. In 1936, a young Jewish prosecutor charged Albizu Campos in federal court with insurrection. He was found guilty and received a six-year sentence. In 1950, he planned armed uprisings in several cities in Puerto Rico. Afterward he was convicted and returned to prison. He died in 1965 shortly after his pardon and release from federal prison, some time after suffering a stroke. There is controversy over his medical treatment in prison. Albizu Campos alleged that he was the subject of human radiation experiments in prison.