Juan Francisco Luis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan Francisco Luis
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| 3rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
| In office January 2, 1978 – January 5, 1987 |
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| Lieutenant | Henry Millin Julio Brady |
| Preceded by | Cyril King |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Farrelly |
| 3rd Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
| In office January 6, 1975 – January 2, 1978 |
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| Governor | Cyril King |
| Preceded by | Athniel C. Ottley |
| Succeeded by | Henry Millin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 10, 1940 Vieques, Puerto Rico |
| Died | June 4, 2011 (aged 70) Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1974) Independent Citizens Movement (1974–1978) Independent (1978–2011) |
| Spouse | Luz Guadalupe |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
Juan Francisco Luis (born July 10, 1940 – died June 4, 2011) was an important politician from the United States Virgin Islands. He was born in Puerto Rico but moved to the Virgin Islands when he was very young. He became the third elected Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and served for a long time, from 1978 to 1987. He is known for being the longest-serving governor in the history of the territory.
Contents
About Juan Francisco Luis
His Early Life
Juan Francisco Luis was born on July 10, 1940, on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. When he was just two months old, his family moved to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Croix has a large community of people from Puerto Rico.
In 1958, Luis finished high school at the former Christiansted High School. He was the top student in his class. After high school, he went to the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico for college.
His First Jobs
After college, Luis returned to St. Croix. He started working as a sixth-grade teacher at the Christiansted Public Grammar School. He also worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This government department helps people with housing.
Later, he joined the United States Army. He served in the Army and was honorably discharged in 1968. He left the Army with the rank of sergeant.
After his time in the Army, he came back to St. Croix. He married Luz Maria Guadalupe. In 1968, he worked in the Virgin Islands Department of Health. From 1970 to 1972, he held several jobs in private companies. He worked as a manager, an accountant, and a comptroller at a hotel.
His Political Journey
Starting in Government
Juan Francisco Luis began his political career in 1972. He was elected to the 10th Legislature of the Virgin Islands. This is the law-making body for the territory. He was 32 years old when he became a Senator. He served one two-year term in this role.
Becoming Lieutenant Governor
In 1974, Cyril King was running for governor. King had started a political group called the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM). He asked Luis to be his running mate for lieutenant governor. King and Luis won the election. They defeated the candidates from the Democratic Party.
Serving as Governor
Governor King became very ill and passed away on January 2, 1978. Because Luis was the lieutenant governor, he immediately took over as governor. He was sworn into office just ten minutes after King's death.
In February 1978, Governor Luis chose Henry Millin to be his new lieutenant governor. Millin was sworn in a few weeks later. Later that year, Luis decided to run for a full term as governor. He ran as an independent candidate, meaning he was not part of a specific political party. Millin ran with him as his running mate.
Luis and Millin won the election on November 7, 1978. They defeated the Democratic candidates, including Ron de Lugo. Luis and Millin received more than half of the votes. They won on all three main islands, especially on St. Croix. They officially started their term on January 4, 1979.
In 1982, Luis decided to run for re-election for a second full term. However, his lieutenant governor, Millin, decided to run against him. So, Luis chose Julio Brady to be his new running mate.
Luis was re-elected on November 2, 1982. He and Brady won the election with the most votes. There was a legal challenge to the election results. Some people argued that blank and spoiled ballots should be counted. If they were counted, Luis would have had less than 50% of the vote, which would have meant a runoff election. However, a higher court decided that these ballots should not be counted. This meant Luis still had a majority of the votes. Luis and Lt. Governor Julio Brady were sworn in on January 3, 1983.
Key Achievements as Governor
As governor, Luis created a new office to help with federal funding. This office worked to improve relationships with U.S. government agencies. Many people credit him with improving the U.S. Virgin Islands' health care system. He worked hard to get federal money to build modern hospitals. These include the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on St. Croix. He also helped build the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John and the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas.
In education, Luis stopped the practice of holding two separate school sessions in the same school building each day. He also led the expansion of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. He oversaw the building of other important infrastructure projects. This included a new container terminal on St. Croix. The first desalination plant, which turns saltwater into fresh water, was also built during his time as governor.
Luis also helped start the political careers of other important politicians. He encouraged Holland Redfield to run for the Legislature. He also nominated John de Jongh Jr. to a commission, which helped de Jongh start his public service career.
Luis could not run for a third term in 1986 because of term limits. Alexander Farrelly became the next governor on January 5, 1987.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1990, Luis ran for governor again, but he was defeated by Alexander Farrelly.
Juan Francisco Luis passed away on June 4, 2011, at the age of 70. He died at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on St. Croix. His funeral was held at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Christiansted. He was buried at Kingshill Cemetery in Kingshill. The Virgin Islands National Guard gave him a full military tribute.
He was survived by his wife, Luz Maria Guadalupe Luis, and their two children, Carlotta Amalia Luis and Juan Francisco Luis Jr. He also had a sister and two brothers.
See also
- List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
- List of Puerto Ricans
