Eduardo Bhatia

Eduardo Bhatia
15th President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2013
Governor	Alejandro García Padilla
Preceded by	Thomas Rivera Schatz
Member 25th Senate of Puerto Rico
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2013
Minority Whip 24th Senate of Puerto Rico
In office January 12, 2009 – 2012
Preceded by	Sila Mari González
Succeeded by	Carmelo Ríos Santiago
Member 24th Senate of Puerto Rico
In office January 2, 2009 – 2012
Executive Director Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
In office 2005-2008
Governor	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Succeeded by	Flavio Cumpiano
Member 22nd Senate of Puerto Rico
In office January 2, 1997 – 2000
Personal details
Born	Eduardo Bhatia Gautier (1964-05-16) May 16, 1964 El Salvador
Political party	PPD
Spouse(s)	Isabel Cristina Fernández
Alma mater	Princeton University Stanford Law School
Profession	politician, attorney
Religion	Roman Catholic

Eduardo Bhatia Gautier (born in May 16, 1964) is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He is the current President of the Senate of Puerto Rico as he was sworn in as the 15th President of the Senate on January 14, 2013. Bhatia is also a former Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, the Washington DC office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and officially represented the Governor in the United States on issues important to Puerto Rico.

Early life and education

Eduardo Bhatia Gautier was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, on May 16, 1964. Bhatia’s father, the economist and retired professor Mohinder Bhatia, came to Puerto Rico in 1957 as an assistant to a Syracuse University professor who had been in India on a one-year sabbatical. He remained in Puerto Rico and married Carmen Gautier in 1960, a political science professor at the University of Puerto Rico. Eduardo Bhatia is one of three siblings. His brother, Andrés Bhatia, is a practicing oncologist in Gainesville, Florida, and his sister, Lisa Bhatia, is an assistant U.S. attorney at the San Juan District office of the U.S. Attorney.^[1] He is also a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity.^[2]

Bhatia attended Princeton University, where he was a classmate of Jeff Bezos, currently founder and CEO of Amazon, and the London School of Economics, obtaining his Bachelor's degree in Government and Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1986. During Bhatia's university years, he was a member of the Princeton Democratic Students Association and the Student Council, actively participating in the student movement against Apartheid in South Africa. In May 1986, Bhatia was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study law, economics and politics in Santiago, Chile for one year.^[3]

Bhatia graduated from Stanford Law School in June 1990 where he founded and edited the "Stanford Journal of Law and Policy", an academic publication with an emphasis on the development of new laws and public policy. As part of his community work as a law student in Stanford, Bhatia also successfully directed a campaign to prevent the approval of a rent increase in the low-income East Palo Alto community. He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Washington D.C. and The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.^[4]

Professional career

After graduating, Bhatia worked for a year as a Judicial Officer for Judge Levin H. Campbell, at the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1991 to 1992, he was the Chief of Staff for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Jaime Fuster in Washington, DC. From 1993 to 1995, Bhatia worked as a lawyer for the San Juan-based law firm McConnell Valdés.^[5][6]

Political career

First term as Senator: 1996-2000

In 1996, at the age of 32, Bhatia was elected Senator at Large by the Popular Democratic Party, becoming the youngest Puerto Rican senator in that four-year term and one of the youngest in the history of the Senate of Puerto Rico. As member of numerous Senatorial committees and spokesperson for his party, his efforts were focused toward increasing employment and educational opportunities for Puerto Rico's youth. He also sought consensus, joining PNP senators in co-sponsoring legislation. An example was the introduction of a bill with Sen. Kenneth McClintock to improve financial education in public schools, which was vetoed by Gov. Pedro Rosselló. A renowned political analyst acknowledged his hard work by calling Mr. Bhatia "Puerto Rico's top senator."^[7]

Campaign for mayor of San Juan: 2000-2003

In 2000, ran for mayor of San Juan against New Progressive Party candidate Jorge Santini. However, he was defeated by less than 4,000 votes.^[8] After that, Bhatia worked as a lawyer in private practice and as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Law in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. During this time Bhatia was also involved in community work.^[9]

In 2004 he ran for Mayor of San Juan for a second time challenging again incumbent Jorge A. Santini Padilla, however he lost again and that time was defeated for a mayor margin than in 2000 (roughly 7,000 votes).</ref>.

Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration: 2005-2008

In January 2005, Governor Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá appointed Bhatia as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, DC. As such, Bhatia represented the Governor on matters before state and federal agencies as well as before Congress and the Executive branch. He managed PRFAA's staff in the areas of Government Affairs, Federal Grants, Communications, Outreach and Public Affairs and Community Affairs, to carry out the agency's mission of advancing the well-being of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and of Puerto Ricans in the United States.

As the Governor's Official Representative in the United States, he worked in education, health and environmental issues. He had also been working in special projects that will help increase economic growth in Puerto Rico's rural areas.^[10]

Bhatia resigned to the position on February 15, 2008 to run again for Senator. He was succeeded by attorney Flavio Cumpiano.

Second term as Senator: 2008-present

Bhatia was elected as an official Senate candidate in the PPD primary on March 9, 2008 becoming the second most voted person of all the pre-candidates for Senate.^[11] At the 2008 general elections, Bhatia won one of only five Senate seats obtained by his party.^[12] After the elections, the PPD Senate caucus reelected Senator José Luis Dalmau for a third term as PDP Floor Leader and elected Bhatia as Minority Whip.

Bhatia presented his candidacy for reelection in 2012. At the primaries that year, he was the candidate with most votes, securing his spot for the general elections.^[13] During the elections, Bhatia was the PPD candidate to the Senate with most votes, and the second ovrrall, after current President of the Senate Thomas Rivera Schatz. After the win, Bhatia's name was mentioned as a possible replacement for Rivera Schatz. Although senator Cirilo Tirado hinted he could be interested in the position, he later supported Bhatia for the presidency.^[14]

Personal life

In 2000, Bhatia was in a relationship with host and former Miss Universe Deborah Carthy-Deu.^[15][16] Bhatia is currently married to Panamanian attorney Isabel Cristina Fernández.^[17]

Sources

• The San Juan Star, November 5, 2007, Column by Dr. M. Bhatia on Sens. Bhatia and McClintock's financial education bill (The San Juan Star is not published online)

References