José Celso Barbosa

Dr. Jos? Celso Barbosa (1857 – December 1921), born in Bayam?n, Puerto Rico, was a medical doctor, sociologist, and political leader. He was also the first racially-mixed resident to attend Puerto Rico's prestigious Jesuit Seminary.

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Barbosa received both his primary and secondary education in Puerto Rico. After graduating from the Seminary, Barbosa tutored private students to save money to attend college. In 1875, he moved to New York to attend prep school where he learned the English in a year. His goal in life was to become a lawywer, but after a bout with pneumonia in NYC, his doctor recommended he would study medicine rather than law. In 1876, he was admitted to the medical school of the University of Michigan. Barbosa graduated Valedictorian of the class of 1880. He returned to the island where he set up his practice in his native hometown. However, the Spanish government did not recognize Barbosa's medical degree as it was not from one of the prestigious European universities. It took the intervention of the American consul to the island for Barbosa's degree to be recognized. Barbosa was the first person in the entire island with an American medical degree. Barbosa practiced medicine all over the island, and introduced the novel idea of employers paying a fee for the future health care needs of their employees (a very early health insurance system).

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In 1893, Barbosa founded the first Puerto Rican cooperative and named it "El Ahorro Colectivo". Barbosa was a member of the Autonomous Party led by Rom?n Baldorioty de Castro but left the party because of ideological differences. He formed the pro-statehood Puerto Rican Republican Party on July 4, 1899 as an aftermath of the Spanish-American War in which Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States. He became known as the "Father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico" movement.

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In 1900, Barbosa became a member of the Executive Cabinet up until 1917 and a member of the Senate from 1917 to 1921. In 1907, he established the newspaper "El Tiempo", the first bilingual newspaper on the island. Jose Celso Barbosa died in San Juan in December of 1921.

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Barbosa's house in Bayam?n was converted into a museum in which many of his awards, certificates, books and other artifacts of interest are exhibited.

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1857: 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar)....

1921: 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar)....

Puerto Rico: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a self-governing unincorporated organized territory of the United States located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main isla...

José Celso Barbosa related Images and Photos (experimental)

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