NHCSL Mourns Passing of Baltasar Corrada del Rio

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) today expressed its condolences to the family and friends of former Puerto Rico Congressman, Secretary of State, Puerto Rico Supreme Court Justice, and Mayor of San Juan, Baltasar Corrada del Río. Among his many achievements, Corrada del Río was one of the original co-founders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and later the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI).

“Today we mourn the sad loss of one of the greats. Congressman Corrada Del Río was a dedicated public servant, a brilliant jurist, and a fierce advocate for Hispanic Americans. The long list of distinguished positions he held is only eclipsed by his quiet humility and commitment to fairness. He was an inspiration to me and many of the legislators and other public officials who were impacted by his legacy,” said NHCSL President and Puerto Rico Senate Majority Leader, Carmelo Ríos.

Congressman Corrada del Río was a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He was a fierce advocate for bilingual education and championed the creation of the United States Department of Education to improve the quality of the Nation’s schools “so that the high hopes…engendered in the hearts and the minds of those who need it are not thwarted.” The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives (215-201) and President Carter signed it into law on October 17, 1979.

Along with Corrada del Río, four other Members of Congress —Hermán Badillo (NY), E. “Kika” de la Garza (TX), Henry B. González (TX), and Edward Roybal (CA)— co-founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in 1976. In 1978, three of the original members of CHC, Representatives Roybal, de la Garza and Corrada del Río, established the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to serve the interests of Hispanic Americans, with a particular emphasis on creating the leaders of tomorrow by empowering Latino youth.

“Thanks to the vision of Corrada del Río and his fellow pioneers, thousands of Hispanic students had the opportunity to participate in CHCI’s internship and fellowship programs, work in the halls of Congress and build lifetime commitments to serve this great Nation. We honor his legacy and pledge to continue promoting his mission of empowering the Latino community. We express our condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed,” concluded NHCSL President Ríos.

Baltasar Corrada del Río died on Sunday, March 11, 2018. He was 82 years old.

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NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 410 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.