Pedro Rosselló facts for kids

Pedro Juan Rosselló González (born April 5, 1944) is a Puerto Rican doctor and politician. He served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001. He was also the leader of the New Progressive Party for many years. Later, he served as a Senator for the Arecibo District from 2005 to 2008.

Pedro Rosselló's son, Ricardo, also became Governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019. In 1988, Pedro Rosselló ran for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, but he did not win. He became the president of the New Progressive Party in 1991. He was then elected Governor in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. He retired from politics in 2001.

In 2003, Rosselló returned to politics. He won the nomination for Governor in 2004 but lost the election by a very small number of votes. He then became a Senator for Arecibo. He finished his term as Senator in 2008 and retired from elections again. As of 2025, he is the most recent Governor of Puerto Rico to serve more than one term.

Early Life and Education

Pedro Rosselló was born in San Juan on April 5, 1944. His parents were Juan Antonio Rosselló Matanzo and Iris M. González Paz. His grandfather came to Puerto Rico from Spain in 1902.

Pedro went to school in San Juan. After that, he moved to the United States for college. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1966. He also received many awards for his studies and sports.

He continued his education in medicine at Yale University, finishing in 1970. He then specialized in surgery at Harvard University. After his training, he worked as a doctor in Puerto Rico. He also earned a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in 1981. In 2015, he earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Turabo.

During his college years, Rosselló was a great tennis player. He was the captain of Notre Dame's tennis team. He also played for Puerto Rico's team in regional championships. He was added to the Puerto Rico Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Early Career in Medicine

Rosselló started his career teaching at Harvard Medical School. He also taught at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus. He later became a professor there.

He became the chief of pediatric surgery at the University of Puerto Rico Children's Hospital. In 1985, he was named Health Services Director for the city of San Juan.

Political Journey

Running for Resident Commissioner

Rosselló began his political career in 1988. He ran for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. This person represents Puerto Rico in the United States Congress. He lost this election. However, he received the most votes among candidates from his party. This helped him become the party's next leader.

In 1991, he became the president of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He then successfully ran for Governor of Puerto Rico in 1992. He won against Victoria Muñoz Mendoza.

Governor of Puerto Rico (1993–2001)

As governor, Rosselló started a program called "Mano Dura Contra el Crimen" (Strong Hand Against Crime). This program used the Puerto Rico National Guard to help police fight crime. It aimed to reduce crime rates.

His government also worked on big projects. These included a train system called Tren Urbano. They also built a new convention center in San Juan. This center is now named the Pedro Rosselló Convention Center. His policies also aimed to reduce the size of the government. They wanted to let private businesses do more. During his time, unemployment went down to less than 11% by 2000. This created many jobs. Other large projects included the Coliseum of Puerto Rico and the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.

Under his leadership, a healthcare reform was approved. This reform helped almost all people in Puerto Rico get health insurance. Puerto Rico also became a leader in vaccinating infants. He also supported two campaigns for Puerto Rican statehood in 1993 and 1998. These campaigns asked Puerto Ricans to vote on their political status with the United States.

In the 1996 elections, he won a second term as governor. He received over one million votes. This was the largest victory margin since 1964. In 1998, a part of the state-owned Puerto Rico Telephone Company was sold. This sale led to a large strike by labor unions.

Rosselló's last term as governor faced some challenges. There were concerns about how public funds were used. After a new governor took office in 2001, more information about these issues came to light.

Senator (2005–2009)

Rosselló became a Senator in Puerto Rico in 2005. He filled a vacant seat for the Arecibo district. He officially became a Senator on February 13, 2005.

March for Puerto Rico's Status

On February 21, 2006, Pedro Rosselló organized a march. It was called La Marcha por el Fin de la Colonia (The March for the End of the Colony). The march aimed to show that Puerto Rico was still a territory of the U.S. It asked the United States Congress to help Puerto Rico decide its future. Rosselló strongly supports Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of the United States. The march covered the entire coastline of Puerto Rico over 16 days.

NPP Party Leadership

On June 7, 2007, Senator Rosselló announced he was no longer seeking the Senate presidency. He published a book called El Triunvirato del Terror (The Triumvirate of Terror). This book discussed power centers he believed controlled Puerto Rico's economy and government.

In 2007, Rosselló also stated he would not run for governor again in 2008. However, a large group of party delegates asked him to run. He agreed to have his name on the ballot but said he would not campaign. His candidacy was challenged by Luis Fortuño.

2008 Governor's Primary Election

On March 9, 2008, Rosselló accepted his loss to Luis Fortuño in the party's primary election. Fortuño won by a large number of votes. After this, Rosselló completed his term as Senator. He then retired from electoral politics.

Personal Life

Rosselló married Irma Margarita "Maga" Neváres on August 9, 1969. They have three sons: Juan Oscar, Luis Roberto, and Ricardo Antonio. They also have several grandchildren. His youngest son, Ricardo, became the 12th Governor of Puerto Rico.

One of Rosselló's nephews, Roy Rossello, was a member of the boy band Menudo.

See also

In Spanish: Pedro Rosselló para niños

• Voting rights in Puerto Rico