Nemesio Canales

Nemesio Canales
Nemesio Canales
Born	Nemesio Rosario Canales Rivera December 18, 1878 Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Died	September 14, 1923 New York, New York
Resting place	Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery(1923–2011) Canales Family Residence Museum(2011)
Occupation	Journalist, novelist, playwright
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Spouse	Guarina Díaz Baldorioty
Relatives	Blanca Canales Torresola(sister)

Nemesio Canales(December 18, 1878 – September 14, 1923) was aPuerto Ricanessayist, 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.

Early years

Canales (birth name:Nemesio Rosario Canales Rivera) was born on December 18, 1878, in Jayuya. He was the firstborn of Rosario Canales Quintero and Francisca Rivera Rivera. He received his primary and secondary education in schools inUtuadoandJayuya.One of these schools was Colegio Roselló, established in Utuado by Juan Luis Roselló in 1867.Canales continued his higher educational studies in the Liceo ofMayagüezwhere he earned a bachelor's degree (now equivalent to High School). In 1896, Canales went to Spain and enrolled in theUniversity of Zaragozato study medicine and law. In 1898, when the United States declared war against Spain, Canales abandoned his studies and went toBaltimore,where he enrolled in Baltimore's College of Law in 1903.

Political activist

Upon his return to Puerto Rico he went to live in the city ofPonce,where he co-founded the daily newspaper paperEl Día.and married Guarina Díaz Baldorioty, the granddaughter ofRomán Baldorioty de Castro.In Ponce, Canales joined the law firm ofLuis Lloréns Torres.Like so many lawyers of the time, he wrote poetry of patriotic themes, collaborated as a journalist and took an active interest in politics. He served in theHouse of Representatives of Puerto Ricoas a member of theUnionist Party,which promoted economic progress of the working class. In 1909, Canales presented a bill to the House giving women their full civil rights, including the right to vote, which was defeated 23 votes to 7. He also served as a lecturer in the School of Law of theUniversity of Puerto Rico.

Writer

Canales co-founded with Luis Lloréns Torres, theRevista de las Antillas.He also wrote short novels and a comedy calledEl Heroe Galopante(The Run Away Hero), which debuted on stage in 1923 after his death. In 1914, he bought Ponce'sEl Díanewspaper (which later becameEl Nuevo Día). In his newspaper he had a column in which he wrote hisPaliques,in which 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 hisPaliqueswas published in 1913. Some of his other works include the novelsHacía Un Lejano Sol,Mi Volutad Se Ha MuertoandLa Leyenda Benaventina.Canales presentes many lectures, including some inArgentina,Peru,Uruguay,Panama,andVenezuela.

Death

The Canales Family Residence Museum in Jayuya

On September 14, 1923, Nemesio Canales was on board the steamerSan Lorenzobound 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. He was buried at theSanta María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery.

Reburial

In August 2011, Jayuya mayorGeorgie Gonzálezpetitioned San Juan mayorJorge Santinito exhume Canales' body to be interred in Jayuya, to which the latter accepted. Canales' body was exhumed from the Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in the Old San Juan and taken to the Canales Family Residence Museum, where he was interred beside the house the same day. A message written by Nemesio Canales during his lifetime is inscribed on his new tomb, which reads:

Companions: take me, when I die, to the quiet mountains of my town and delve me a solitary pit there, where no echo of a funeral chant or of bell will reach.

Legacy

Puerto Rico awards the Nemesio Canales Award in Literature every year to outstanding young writers, and has nameda public housing projectinSan Juannamed after him. His native town, Jayuya, erected a statue in his honor, sculpted by well-known Puerto Rican sculptorTomás Batista,and named thetown squareafter him.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 theTricentennial Park.

Notable family members

His younger sister,Blanca Canales Torresola,was a leader of thePuerto Rican Nationalist Partywhich was presided byPedro Albizu Campos.In October 30, 1950, she led theJayuya Uprisingrevolt against United States colonial rule. Her cousins were Elio Torresola,Griselio Torresolaone of two Puerto Rican nationalists who attempted to assassinate United States PresidentHarry Trumanand Doris Torresola, all high-ranking members of the party involved in thePuerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican writers
• Puerto Rican literature

External links

• Famous Puerto Ricans