Teodoro Moscoso

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Teodoro Moscoso (November 26, 1910-June 15, 1992 born in Barcelona, Spain), was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of Operation Bootstrap".

Moscoso's parents were Teodoro Moscoso Sr., the founder of "Farmacias Moscoso" (Moscoso Pharmacy) and Alejandrina Mora Fajardo, from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Alejandrina was pregnant when she and her husband were visiting Barcelona, Spain. Teodoro Jr., was born during their visit and soon afterward the Moscosos returned to the island. The elder Moscoso attended to his pharmacy, which was located in the middle of the city. The Moscosos sent their son to New York where he was to go to school and obtain his primary education.

Moscoso obtained his early education in New York. Afterward he moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico and graduated from Ponce High School. After graduation he attended the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy to follow in his father's profession. After three years, he transferred to the University of Michigan, where he graduated in 1932.

Moscoso returned to Ponce, Puerto Rico and worked in his father's pharmacy. He married Gloria Sánchez Vilella. Moscoso left the family business and helped win for the Ponce Housing Authority (PHA) an imperiled $2-million grant. In the midst of the Great Depression, the grant aided the construction of nearly 1,000 homes in Ponce. Moscoso's success caught the attention of various Puerto Rican government officials.

In 1940, Moscoso beacame a member of the recently established Popular Democratic Party after meeting Luis Muñoz Marín. During the 1940's the Popular Democratic Party won seats in the legislature. Moscoso assisted in Luis Muñoz Marín's vision of industrializing Puerto Rico which at the time was in an extremely impoverished situation.

In 1941 then U.S. appointed Governor, Rexford Guy Tugwell, and the president of the Puerto Rican Senate, Luis Muñoz Marín, forged legislative projects which established nationalized entities such as Fomento (Puerto Rico's Industrial Development Company), The Bank of Fomento, The Planning Board (Junta de Planificacion), The Power Authority (La Autoridad de Fuente Fluviales), The Communication Authority (La Autoridad de Comunicación), The Water and Sewage Authority (La Autoridad de Acueductos Y Alcantarillados), and the Transportation Authority (Autoridad de Transporte). In 1942, Moscoso became Executive Director of Fomento.

In elected governor Munoz's administration, Moscoso led a project known as Operation Bootstrap ("Operacion Manos a la Obra"). Their administration realized that agriculture alone would not be able to employ the burgeoning population, and sought to use the advantadges of free access to the American market and ready, inexpensive, but trained labor to rapidly industrialize the society. The rapid economic progress of Puerto Rico during the decades of 1950-1970 made the island the "miracle of the Caribbean". The ambitious Fomento project stimulated various industries through federal and local tax exemption and government assistance. Moscoso succeeded in attracting worldwide capital investment to Puerto Rico which in turn helped transform the island into a modern bustling industrial society. The publication, The Economist later reported: "one century of economic development . . . achieved in a decade." An example of the success shows the change from agricultural to manufacturing employment (extracted from Fernando Pico, Historia General de Puerto Rico).

Decade	Agriculture & Fishing	Manufacture
Salaried employment in Puerto Rico (1940-70) measured in thousands of employees
1940-49	230	56
1950-59	216	55
1960-69	125	81
1970-79	68	132

In May of 1961, United States President John F. Kennedy named Moscoso ambassador to Venezuela and in November he was named coordinator of Kennedy's Alliance for Progress.

After the Kennedy assassination, Moscoso returned to Puerto Rico. In 1966, Moscoso headed the Commonwealth Oil Refining Co. From 1973 to 1976 Moscoso became again of secretary of Fomento, the agency in charge of Puerto Rico's industrial promotions and economic development.

Teodoro Moscoso died on June 15, 1992.

1 Legacy
2 Books
3 Notes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Legacy

The long bridge that connects the Hato Rey/Río Piedas sector of San Juan, Puerto Rico with the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport bears the name of Teodoro Moscoso. The bridge covers a distance of 2.25 km over the San José Lagoon, and is the longest bridge over a body of water in Puerto Rico.^[1]