Via Wikimedia Commons
José de Diego
Liberation1866–1918
Poet and politician known as 'The Father of the Spanish Language Movement,' champion of Puerto Rican cultural identity
José de Diego was a Puerto Rican statesman, lawyer, journalist, and poet considered the "Father of the Modern Puerto Rican Poetry Movement." He co-founded the Autonomist Party in 1887 and presided over the Puerto Rican House of Delegates from 1907 to 1917. He was a fierce defender of the Spanish language against Americanization policies.