Nemesio Canales
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Nemesio Canales
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| Born | December 18, 1878 Jayuya, Puerto Rico |
| Died | September 14, 1923 New York, NY |
| Occupation | journalist, novelist, playwright |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
Nemesio R. Canales Rivera (December 18, 1878 – September 14, 1923) was a Puerto Rican essayist, journalist, novelist, playwright, politician and activist who defended women's civil rights. As a politician, he presented a bill to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, which was defeated 23 votes to 7, giving women their full civil rights, including the right to vote.
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Early years
Canales (birth name: Nemesio Rosario Canales Rivera [note 1]) was born in the town of Jayuya. He was the firsborn son of Rosario Canales Quintero and Francisca Rivera Rivera. He received his primary and secondary education in schools in the towns of Utuado and Jayuya. One of these schools was named Colegio Roselló, established by Juan Luis Roselló in 1867.[1] Canales continued his higher educational studies in the "Liceo of Mayagüez" where he earned a bachelor's degree (now equivalent to High School). In 1896, Canales went to Spain and enrolled in the University of Zaragoza to study medicine and law. In 1898, when the United States declared war against Spain, Canales abandoned his studies and went to Baltimore. There he enrolled in Baltimore's College of Law in 1903.[2]
Political activist
Upon his return to Puerto Rico he went to live in the city of Ponce, where he founded the paper El Día.[3] He then married Guarina Diaz Baldorioty, the granddaughter of Román Baldorioty de Castro. In Ponce, Canales joined the law firm of Luis Lloréns Torres.
Canales, like so many lawyers of the time, wrote poetry of patriotic themes, collaborated as a journalist and took an active interest in politics. He joined the Unionist Party and served in the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. The Unionist Party promoted the economic progress of the working class. In 1909, he presented a bill to the House, which was defeated 23 votes to 7, giving women their full civil rights, including the right to vote. He also served as a lecturer in the School of Law of the University of Puerto Rico.[2]
Writer
Canales co-founded, with Luis Lloréns Torres, the Revista de las Antillas. He also wrote short novels and a comedy called El Heroe Galopante (The Run Away Hero), which debuted on stage in 1923 after his death. In 1914, he bought the newspaper El Día of Ponce (which later became El Nuevo Día). In his newspaper he had a column in which he wrote his Paliques. In Paliques, he showed his understanding of human nature with humor and insight. In his works, he makes an emphasis of the pride that he feels for all things Puerto Rican. A collection of his essays, Paliques was published in 1913. Among his other works are the novels Hacía Un Lejano Sol, Mi Volutad Se Ha Muerto and La Leyenda Benaventina. Canales gave many lectures, among the countries he visited were Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Panama, and Venezuela.
On September 14, 1923 Nemesio Canales was on board the steamer San Lorenzo bound for New York City with the intention of going to Washington, D.C. as a legal assistant to a legislative Puerto Rican commission when he died.
Legacy
Puerto Rico awards the Nemesio Canales Award in Literature every year to outstanding young writers, and has named a public housing project in San Juan named after him.
His native town, Jayuya, erected a statue in his honor, sculpted by well-known Puerto Rican sculptor Tomás Batista, in the "Plaza de Recreo (town square) Nemesio R. Canales".[4] Jayuya also converted the house in which Nemesio and his sister were raised into a museum. In Ponce, he is honored at the Illustrious Ponce Citizens Plaza in Tricentennial Park.
Notable family members
His younger sister, Blanca Canales Torresola, was a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party which was presided by Pedro Albizu Campos and in October 30, 1950 led the Jayuya Uprising revolt against United States colonial rule. Her cousins were Elio Torresola, Griselio Torresola one of two Puerto Rican nationalists who attempted to assassinate United States President Harry Truman and Doris Torresola, all high-ranking members of the party involved in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s.[5]
Notes
- ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
See also
References
- ↑ Utuado: Notas para su historia, by Dr. Pedro Hernández-Paralitici, 1983, pg. 83.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nemesio Canales
- ↑ Borinquen. Pobladores.com. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ↑ Jayuya
- ↑ Blanca Canales
