Ramón Emeterio Betances | History Notes

A wonderful old

OJEDA FELIX REYES
Tomorrow, Sunday April 8, commemorating the 185th birthday of Ramon Emeterio Betances who so rightly been called the Father of the Puerto Ricans

Un anciano maravilloso

FÉLIX OJEDA REYES
Mañana, domingo 8 de abril, conmemoramos el 185 aniversario del nacimiento de Ramón Emeterio Betances a quien con tanta justeza se le ha llamado el Padre de la Patria puertorriqueñ

Ramón Emeterio Betances

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Ramón Emeterio Betances
Born	April 8, 1827(1827-04-08) Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Died	September 16, 1898(1898-09-16) (aged 71) Neuilly-sur-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Occupation	Politician, medical doctor, diplomat
Partner	Simplicia Jiménez Carlo
Parents	Felipe Betanzos Ponce María del Carmen Alacán de Montalvo
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Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán (April 8, 1827 – September 16, 1898) was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution and is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement. Since the Grito galvanized a burgeoning nationalist movement among Puerto Ricans, Betances is also considered "El Padre de la Patria" (Father of the Puerto Rican Nation). Because of his charitable deeds for people in need, he also became known as "The Father of the Poor."
Betances was also a medical doctor and surgeon in Puerto Rico, and one of its first social hygienists. He had established a successful surgery and ophthalmology practice. Betances was also a diplomat, public health administrator, poet and novelist. He served as representative and contact for Cuba and the Dominican Republic in Paris.
An adherent of Freemasonry, his political and social activism was deeply influenced by the group's philosophical beliefs. His personal and professional relationships (as well as the organizational structure behind the Grito de Lares, an event that, in theory, clashes with traditional Freemason beliefs) were based upon his relationships with Freemasons, their hierarchical structure, rites and signs