Maurice Ferré

Maurice Ferré
32nd and 34th Mayor of Miami
In office
April 19, 1973  August 17, 1973
Preceded by David T. Kennedy
Succeeded by David T. Kennedy
In office
November 8, 1973  November 14, 1985
Preceded by David T. Kennedy
Succeeded by Xavier Suárez
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 91st District
In office
March 1967  March 1968
Preceded by Richard R. Renick
Succeeded by Richard R. Renick
Personal details
Born (1935-06-23) June 23, 1935
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Mercedes Ferré
Residence Miami, Florida
Alma mater University of Miami
Website ferre2010.com

Maurice A. Ferré (born June 23, 1935) is a former six-term Mayor of Miami. Ferré was the first Puerto Rican-born United States mayor and the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S. Senate seat for Florida vacated by Mel Martínez for the Democratic primary.

Early years

Ferré, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was born into a wealthy Puerto Rican family. He was the son of businessman José Ferré and nephew of the former governor of Puerto Rico Luis A. Ferré. Ferre's father José visited Miami, Florida in the 1920s and wondered why the city did not have any tall buildings.[1] He then ventured into construction and real estate development in Miami. Ferré was born when José and his family returned to his hometown, Ponce in Puerto Rico.

Maurice Ferré served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1967–1968.[2] He served as mayor of Miami from 1973–1985.

From 1993 to 1996, Ferré was Vice-Chairman of the Dade County Board of Commissioners. He has been active in national political campaigns and he was a member of several presidential advisory boards. Ferré has also worked as a banker and business consultant and has held various research and teaching posts.

On December 20, 1995, Francisco Ferré Malaussena, Mariana Gómez de Ferré, and Felipe Antonio Ferré Gómez, the son, daughter-in-law, and grandson of Maurice Ferré, died when American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain in Colombia.[3][4]

In November 2001, Maurice Ferré lost his bid to be reelected Mayor of Miami.[5]

Later years

Ferré is on a fellowship at Princeton University and is writing a book about the contributions Hispanics have made to the American culture. Ferré is one of the driving forces behind the INTERMESTIC (stands for "International" – "Domestic") dialogue, which attempts to seek consensus regarding Puerto Rico's political status problem from an "international" as well as "domestic" point of view. He most recently spoke about this effort to deal with Puerto Rico's political status in an address to the Puerto Rico Senate as keynote speaker during the Governors' Day special session on February 16, 2006.[6]

In October 2009, Ferré announced that he was running for the open US Senate seat of Mel Martinez.[7] His bid for the Senate was unsuccessful, however, coming in last in the Democratic primary.[8]

See also

References

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
David T. Kennedy
Mayor of Miami
1973
Succeeded by
David T. Kennedy
Preceded by
David T. Kennedy
Mayor of Miami
1973–1985
Succeeded by
Xavier Suárez
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