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Maurice Ferré

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Maurice Antonio Ferré
32nd and 34th Mayor of Miami
In office
November 8, 1973 – November 14, 1985
Preceded byDavid T. Kennedy
Succeeded byXavier Suárez
In office
April 19, 1973 – August 17, 1973
Preceded byDavid T. Kennedy
Succeeded byDavid T. Kennedy
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 91st District
In office
March 1967 – March 1968
Preceded byDick Renick
Succeeded byDick Renick
Member of the Miami-Dade County Commission District 7
In office
May 1, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byJimmy Morales
Personal details
Born(1935-06-23)June 23, 1935
Ponce, Puerto Rico
DiedSeptember 19, 2019(2019-09-19) (aged 84)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMercedes Ferré
Residence(s)Miami, Florida
Alma materUniversity of Miami
OccupationPolitician
Websiteferre2010.com

Maurice Antonio Ferré (June 23, 1935 – September 19, 2019) was an American politician who served six terms as the Mayor of Miami. Ferré was the first Puerto Rican-born United States mayor and the first Latino Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S. Senate seat for Florida vacated by Mel Martínez for the Democratic primary.

Early years

Mayor Maurice Ferré speaking in front of Bayfront Park Main Library

Ferre was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was the son of businessman José Ferré and nephew of governor of Puerto Rico Luis A. Ferré (1904-2003). Ferre's father José visited Miami, Florida in the 1920s and wondered why the city did not have any tall buildings.[1] He then ventured into construction and real estate development in Miami. Ferré was born when José and his family returned to their hometown, Ponce in Puerto Rico. Ferré was a graduate of the University of Miami.

Ferré served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1967–1968.[2] He served as mayor of Miami from 1973 to 1985.

From 1993 to 1996, Ferré served in the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners and was Vice-Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners. He was active in national political campaigns, and was a member of several presidential advisory boards. Ferré also worked as a banker and business consultant, and held various research and teaching posts.

On December 20, 1995, Francisco Ferré Malaussena, Mariana Gómez de Ferré, and Felipe Antonio Ferré Gómez, the son, daughter-in-law, and grandson of Ferré, died when American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain in Colombia.[3][4]

Ferré ran for mayor of Miami-Dade County in 1996, finishing in third against fellow Commissioners Alex Penelas and Arthur Teele. Ferré won 20% and did not make it to the runoff.[5]

In November 2001, Ferré lost his bid to be reelected Mayor of Miami.[6]

Ferré attempted his second run for mayor of Miami-Dade County in 2004; however, he won only 17.76% of the vote, and did not make the run-off.[7]

Later years

Ferré was on a fellowship at Princeton University and was writing a book about the contributions that Hispanics have made to American culture. Ferré was one of the driving forces behind the intermestic (an abbreviation of international and domestic) dialogue, which attempts to seek consensus regarding Puerto Rico's political status problem from both an international and domestic vantage point. He spoke about this effort to deal with Puerto Rico's political status in an address to the Puerto Rico Senate as keynote speaker during the Governors' Day special session on February 16, 2006.[8]

In October 2009, Ferré announced that he was running for the open U.S. Senate seat of Mel Martinez.[9] He finished in fourth place (last place) in the Democratic primary, with only 4.9% of the vote.[10][circular reference]

Ferré is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern-day Miami." To pay tribute to him and his legacy, a park district in Miami, formerly called Museum Park, was named after him in early 2019.[11][12][13]

Ferré died in Miami on September 19, 2019 from spinal cancer. He was 84 years of age.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Ferre Family: Puerto Rican by Birth, Yanqui in Spirit Archived February 25, 2006, at archive.today
  2. ^ http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/FileStores/Web/HouseContent/Approved/Public%20Guide/Uploads/Documents/house_counties_final.pdf
  3. ^ "The List of the 164 People on Flight 965," The New York Times
  4. ^ "CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—Extensions of Remarks Archived December 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine," U.S. Government Printing Office
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - Dade County Mayor - Primary Race - Sep 02, 1996".
  6. ^ "Ego Without End." Miami New Times.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - Miami-Dade County Mayor Race - Aug 31, 2004".
  8. ^ Puerto Rico's political status[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/10/kendrick-meeks-version-of-marco-rubio.html
  10. ^ 2010 United States Senate election in Florida
  11. ^ "Maurice A. Ferre Park".
  12. ^ "23-Acre Park in Downtown Miami Dedicated to Former Mayor Maurice Ferre". January 31, 2019.
  13. ^ Viglucci, Andres (September 19, 2019). "Former mayor Maurice Ferré, considered the father of modern-day Miami, dies at 84". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Mazzei, Patricia (September 19, 2019). "Maurice Ferré, Miami's First Hispanic Mayor, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
  15. ^ https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article235184477.html
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Miami
1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Miami
1973–1985 		Succeeded by
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