The story of Luis Muñoz Marín’s metamorphosis from the bohemian son of a famous father to the first elected governor of Puerto Rico depicts a selfless and charismatic man, one of the truly great political leaders of the twentieth century. While no author could possibly do justice to such a story in little more than fifty pages, Mathews, the director of the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, has produced a very creditable little biographical sketch.
In a simple, straightforward style he presents the highlights of Muñoz’ career. These include founding the Popular Democratic Party (1938); the revolution which he wrought in island affairs with the help of Rexford Guy Tugwell, the last appointed continental governor; his successful espousal of commonwealth status in 1952; his return to the Senate in 1964 after refusing a fifth term as governor; and his failure, despite his great popularity, to remove the question of status from Puerto Rican polities. Mathews concludes his account with a short bibliography of published works.
