Jorge de Castro Font
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Jorge Adolfo de Castro-Font (born on September 10, 1963) is a Senator of Puerto Rico, the third most senior member of that body, after the Senate's President and Vice President, and a former member of the House of Representatives. He was expelled from the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) in 2001 and later became a member of the New Progressive Party (NPP) in 2002. He was subsequently expelled from the NPP in August 2005 as a result of his support for the current Senate leadership at the expense of former governor, 2004 NPP gubernatorial candidate, and current fellow Senator Pedro Rossello. Rossello unsuccessfully attempted to unseat the current Senate president, Senator Kenneth McClintock and, when unsuccessful, expelled or sanctioned all those Senators from his party who refused to support the former governor, including De Castro Font. De Castro does not recognize the party's decision to expel him and continues to identify himself both as a supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico as well as a member of the New Progressive Party. He is a party to a suit filed by McClintock in San Juan Superior Court to have the sanctions annulled.
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[edit] Early life
Born to Rafael Adolfo de Castro Campos and María Eugenia Font González, he is the grandson of Jorge Font Saldaña, one of former Gov. Luis Muñoz Marín's closest associates. De Castro Font studied issues relating to law and the justice system in Sacred Heart University, and subsequently obtained a Master's degree in Puerto Rican history. He is a current member of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
[edit] Legislative career
De Castro Font began his career in politics by being elected to the P.R. House of Representatives in 1988 at the age of 25, becoming the youngest elected representative up to that point. He was reelected to the post in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 general elections under the Popular Democratic Party.
[edit] Independent legislator in 2001
In August 2001, following internal disputes within the PPD, De Castro Font left the party to become an independent representative. There are several versions of the nature and manner of him leaving the party. While De Castro states that he willfully left the party, others suggest he was forced out.
On September 27, 2002, he announced that he was joining the ranks of the NPP and announced his candidacy for a Senate position under the NPP. He would go on to win the party primaries and eventually the Senate seat. The NPP majority caucus elected him on November 4, 2004 as the Majority Leader of the newly elected Senate.
[edit] NPP expulsion
In early 2005, following a narrow defeat in the 2004 gubernatorial race, former governor Pedro Rosselló announced he was aspiring for a Senate seat vacated by a freshman Senator for the district of Arecibo. After joining the Senate, he expressed his hopes of becoming president of the now NPP-controlled Senate, and asked his fellow party Senators to oust Senate President Kenneth McClintock and support him. However, several Senators, including De Castro Font, refused to do so. This prompted the NPP Directorate to expel several of these Senators, including De Castro Font, while suspending others.
As a result of the May 2005 confrontation in the Puerto Rico Senate's majority NPP delegation, De Castro Font gave up his post as the Senate Majority Leader, a now powerless position held by Sen. Margarita Nolasco. He retained the powerful chairmanship of the Senate Rules Committee and, as such, continues to direct all floor activities in the Senate. As a result of the split, McClintock appointed him chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Municipal and Financial Affairs Committee, and co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on the Civil Code and the Joint Select Committee on the Penal Code.
In a decition from the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico the sanctions where invalidated. Now De Castro Font is running for re-election under the NPP.
He was elected on the March 9, 2008 NPP primary by voters, so he has been accepted back to the NPP party.
[edit] External links
- Senate of Puerto Rico Biography (in Spanish)
