Maurice Ferré

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.

Maurice Antonio Ferré
32nd and 34th Mayor of Miami
In office November 8, 1973 – November 14, 1985
Preceded by	David T. Kennedy
Succeeded by	Xavier Suárez
In office April 19, 1973 – August 17, 1973
Preceded by	David T. Kennedy
Succeeded by	David T. Kennedy
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 91st District
In office March 1967 – March 1968
Preceded by	Dick Renick
Succeeded by	Dick Renick
Member of the Miami-Dade County Commission District 7
In office May 1, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Jimmy Morales
Personal details
Born	June 23, 1935 Ponce, Puerto Rico
Died	September 19, 2019 (aged 84) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mercedes Ferré
Residence	Miami, Florida
Alma mater	University of Miami
Occupation	Politician
Website	ferre2010.com

Early years

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 his 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 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 attempted to run for Dade-County mayor 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 Miami-dade County Mayor in 2004, however he did not make the run-off winning 17.76%[7]

Later years

Ferré was on a fellowship at Princeton University and was writing a book about the contributions Hispanics have made to the American culture. Ferré was one of the driving forces behind the INTERMESTIC (stands for "International" – "Domestic") dialogue, which attempts to seek consensus regarding Puerto Rico's political status problem from an "international" as well as "domestic" point of view. 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 last place (4th - 4.9%) in the Democratic primary.[10]

He 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 at the age of 84.[14][15]

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans

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. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=38979
6. "Ego Without End." Miami New Times.
7. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30532
8. Puerto Rico's political status
9. http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/10/kendrick-meeks-version-of-marco-rubio.html
10. 2010 United States Senate election in Florida
11. https://www.miamigov.com/Shortcut-Content/Events-Activities/Dedication-Ceremony-Ribbon-Cutting-for-Maurice-A.-Ferre-Park
12. https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/01/31/23-acre-park-in-downtown-miami-dedicated-to-former-mayor-maurice-ferre/
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. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/politics/maurice-ferre-dead.html
15. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article235184477.html