Sila María Calderón facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Calderón and the second or maternal family name is Serra.

Quick facts for kids Sila Calderón
Calderón in 2001

Governor of Puerto Rico
In office January 2, 2001 – January 2, 2005
Preceded by	Pedro Rosselló
Succeeded by	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Mayor of San Juan
In office January 2, 1997 – January 2, 2001
Preceded by	Héctor Luis Acevedo
Succeeded by	Jorge Santini
Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
In office 1988–1989
Governor	Rafael Hernández Colón
Preceded by	Alfonso Lopez Chaar
Succeeded by	Antonio Colorado

Personal details
Born	Sila María Calderón Serra (1942-09-23) September 23, 1942 (age 82) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	Popular Democratic
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Spouses	Francisco González (m. 1964; div. 1975) Adolfo Krans (m. 1978; div. 2001) Ramón Cantero Frau (m. 2003; div. 2005)
Children	3, including Sila
Education	Manhattanville College (BA) University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Sila María Calderón Serra (born September 23, 1942) is an important figure in Puerto Rico's history. She is a politician, businesswoman, and someone who helps others through charity. From 2001 to 2005, she served as the governor of Puerto Rico. This was a big moment because she was the first woman ever elected to this high office in Puerto Rico.

Before becoming governor, Calderón held several other key roles in the government. She was the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico from 1988 to 1989. She also worked as the Chief of Staff for Governor Rafael Hernández Colón. Later, she became the mayor of San Juan, the capital city, serving from 1997 to 2001.

Early Life and Education
Professional Career
Political Career
- Mayor of San Juan: 1997–2001
- Governor of Puerto Rico: 2001–2004
Present Day
Honours and Awards
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Sila Calderón Serra was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 23, 1942. Her parents were César Augusto Calderón and Sila Serra Jesús. Her grandfather, Miguel Serra Joy, came to Puerto Rico from Mallorca, Spain, in the late 1800s. Because of this family history, Sila Calderón received Spanish citizenship in 2012.

She went to high school at the Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Las Madres in Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1964, she graduated with high honors from Manhattanville College in New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. After that, she continued her studies at the Graduate School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico.

Professional Career

Early Career Steps: 1973–1985

Sila Calderón started her career in 1973. She worked as an Executive Aide for the Labor Secretary, Luis Silva Recio. Two years later, she became a Special Aide for Economic Development to Governor Rafael Hernández Colón.

After Governor Hernández Colón's term ended in 1976, Calderón moved to the private sector. She worked at Citibank, N.A. in San Juan, where she was the Director of Business Development. In this role, she helped create new products that greatly increased the bank's earnings. In 1978, she became the president of Commonwealth Investment Company, a family business that managed industrial buildings.

First Government Roles: 1985–1990

In 1984, Rafael Hernández Colón was elected governor again. He asked Sila Calderón to be his Chief of Staff. She was the first woman to hold this important position. In 1988, Governor Hernández Colón appointed her as Puerto Rico's 12th Secretary of State.

During this time, Calderón also served on the Governor's Economic Adviser Council. She was also on the board of directors for the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank. She led the committee that organized events for the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of the Americas.

Returning to Private Life: 1989–1995

In 1989, Calderón left her government roles and went back to her private business work. She served on the boards of major companies like BanPonce and Banco Popular. She also helped with the Committee for Economic Development of Puerto Rico. From 1991 to 1992, she was the President of the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Political Career

Mayor of San Juan: 1997–2001

Sila Calderón returned to public life in 1995. She decided to run for Mayor of San Juan with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). She easily won the party's primary election. After this, she became the President of the PPD's Municipal Committee in San Juan.

In the 1996 mayoral election, she was elected Mayor of San Juan. She was the second woman in the city's history to hold this office and the first woman elected to the position. As mayor, she started many large public works projects. These projects aimed to improve and revitalize areas like Old San Juan, Condado, Río Piedras, and Santurce. She also began the Special Communities Program. This program helped poor communities gain power and develop economically.

Governor of Puerto Rico: 2001–2004

On April 21, 1999, Calderón announced she would run for Governor of Puerto Rico. She won the primary election on May 31 and became the president of her party. Her running mate for Resident Commissioner was Aníbal Acevedo Vilá.

In 2000, Calderón led the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) in a close election for governor. She ran against Carlos Pesquera and Rubén Berríos. Calderón won the election, making her the first elected female governor in Puerto Rico's history. After she was sworn in, she appointed her two daughters, Sila Mari and María Elena, to serve as First Ladies.

As governor, Calderón focused on helping communities that needed it most. She passed Law 1 of 2001, which invested $1 billion to create the Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development. The goal was to develop marginalized communities across the island. This program aimed to create many development projects in hundreds of communities.

In 2003, Governor Calderón announced that she would not seek re-election in 2004. She wanted to focus on fulfilling the promises of her current term.

On May 26, 2004, a difficult situation arose when a man entered La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion, with a knife. He took a receptionist hostage and demanded to speak with Governor Calderón. Governor Calderón bravely negotiated with the man, and he eventually dropped the knife and surrendered to the police.

Present Day

Today, Sila Calderón is a partner at Inter-American Global Links, Inc. (IGlobaL). This company helps businesses and trade, especially in Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States. She also leads a charitable foundation. This foundation created The Center for Puerto Rico: Sila M. Calderón Foundation. This center is a non-profit group that works on issues like poverty, women's rights, improving cities, and promoting good values and social responsibility.

Honours and Awards

Throughout her career, Sila Calderón has received many awards and honors:

The Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce named her "Outstanding Woman in the Public Sector" three times.
In 2005, she was recognized as one of the "Distinguished Women of the Year" by the Product Association of Puerto Rico.
In 1987, she received the Order of Isabella the Catholic from King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
In 1988, she was chosen as "Leader of the Year" in Public Works by the American Public Works Association in Puerto Rico.
In 2003, she received the Harvard Foundation Award.
In 2004, she received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement in Washington, DC.

Calderón has also received several honorary degrees from universities:

1989 – Manhattanville College – Doctor in Arts and Humanities
May 1997 – Manhattanville College – Doctor of Humane Letters
May 2001 – Boston University – Doctor of Laws
May 2001 – New School University – Doctor of Laws

During her time as governor, Calderón worked to strengthen economic, business, and cultural ties between Puerto Rico and its Latin American neighbors. She made official visits to the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica. In recognition of her efforts to build cooperation, these countries gave her their highest civil honors: the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella from the Dominican Republic, the Order of Núñez de Balboa from Panama, and the Order of Juan Santamaría from Costa Rica.

Personal Life

Sila Calderón was married to engineer Francisco Xavier González Goenaga from 1964 to 1975. They had three children: Sila María, Francisco Xavier, and María Elena. Both Sila María and María Elena are lawyers. They served as "First Ladies" of Puerto Rico during their mother's time as governor. Francisco is an investment banker.

Calderón married Adolfo Krans in 1978. She later married Ramón Cantero Frau in 2003, during her time as governor.