Héctor Ferrer

Héctor J. Ferrer Ríos
Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico
Minority Leader of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office January 2, 2005 – March 15, 2012
Preceded by	Aníbal Vega Borges
Succeeded by	Luis Raúl Torres Cruz
At-Large Member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office January 2, 2005 – March 15, 2012
Preceded by	Jorge de Castro Font
Member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from the District 29
In office January 2, 2001 – January 2, 2005
Preceded by	Luis Aramburu Díaz
Succeeded by	Pedro Cintrón Rodríguez
Majority Whip of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office January 2, 2001 – December 31, 2004
Preceded by	Iris M. Ruiz Class
Succeeded by	María L. Ramos Rivera
President of the Popular Democratic Party
In office December 2008 – 2011
Preceded by	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Succeeded by	Alejandro García Padilla
Personal details
Born	(1970-03-27) March 27, 1970 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico Democratic Party
Domestic partner	Elisa Hernández

Héctor J. Ferrer Ríos (born March 27, 1970) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from 2001 to 2012. He was also President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico from 2008 to 2011.^[1]

Ferrer resigned all his political posts on February 28, 2012 after a domestic abuse scandal that began with his arrest on February 23, 2012.

Early years and studies

Ferrer was born on March 27, 1970 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a sports scholarship in baseball to study at the University of North Carolina. There, he received a Bachelor's degree with a major in Economics and Industrial Relations. He then received a Juris doctor from the School of Law of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. In march 1997, he was one of the top 10 grades at the bar exam.^[2]

Professional career

After graduating, Ferrer worked as a private attorney.

Political career

Ferrer was elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives at the 2000 general elections, to represent District 29.^[3] During his first term, he served as Majority Whip for the PPD, and presided the Committees of Ethics, Federal and International Affairs, and Consumer Affairs.^[4]

Ferrer was reelected at the 2004 general elections, this time as a Representative At-large.^[5] This time, his party lost the Majority in both the Senate and the House, and Ferrer took over as Minority Speaker.

In 2008, Ferrer was reelected for a third consecutive term, being the candidate with the most votes for the position among all candidates.^[6] Due to the defeat of the PPD in the race for Governor and both the Senate and the House, Ferrer remained as Minority Speaker.

The defeat of the PPD led to the resignation of Aníbal Acevedo Vilá as President. Héctor Ferrer became President of the party in November 10, 2008 after a meeting of the Board of Directors which included veteran leaders like Héctor Luis Acevedo, Rafael Hernández Colón, and Miguel Hernández Agosto.^[7]

In 2011, he surrendered the presidency of the party to new gubernatorial candidate, Alejandro García Padilla. He had initially announced his intentions to run for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, but then announced his decision to run for mayor of San Juan, against incumbent Jorge Santini at the 2012 general elections.

Resignation

In February 2012, Ferrer was involved in a scandal after accusations of domestic abuse against him. With conflicting versions surrounding the circumstances of the events and how it was handled, Ferrer presented his resignation to all his political positions on February 28, 2012. The resignation is effective on March 15, 2012.^[8]

Personal life

Ferrer was in a relationship Elisa "Beba" Hernández for seven years. They have a son together. Ferrer has two other children from a previous relationship. Ferrer's brother, Eduardo, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.

Domestic abuse scandal

In February 23, 2012, Ferrer was detained after allegations of domestic abuse against his long-term partner.^[9] Initially, Hernández had issued a protection order against Ferrer for one year. However, shortly after, she asked for it to be retired.^[10]

Sports

Ferrer is an avid athlete and he practices a variety of sports. He studied at the University of North Carolina thanks to a scholarship in baseball, but also practices jogging, cycling, and swimming, among others.

References