José Gautier Benítez

José Martín Antonio Gautier Benítez (1851 – 1880) was a Puerto Rican poet of the Romantic Era.

Early years Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, María Bibiana Benítez, was also a well known Puerto Rican poet. He was mostly influenced by the exponents of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century. His great-great-uncle was José Benítez, mayor of Ponce in 1800.

Gautier Benítez's father wanted him to take up a military career and so in 1865, he was sent to military school in San Juan. When he graduated, he went to Madrid, Spain, where he continued his military education.

In 1873 he joined the Liberal Reformist Party and became a principal force behind the creation of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño. In 1878 he became the co-founder, along with his friend Manuel de Elzabura, of the Puerto Rican Review. That same year he wrote his first poem A Puerto Rico (To Puerto Rico), was highly acclaimed by his contemporaries as one of his greatest works. A Puerto Rico also received an award from the Ateneo.

Americana Como Tu Quieras Deber De Amar El Manzanillo El Poeta Ella y Yo Enfermo INSOMNIO La Barca La Nave Las Aves De Paso Los Ojos De T. Oriental Romance Un Encargo A Mis Amigos Un Sueño Zoraida

Legacy and honors The city of Caguas named a high school and public housing project after Gautier Benítez. The island–municipality of Vieques honored him by naming its public library the José Gautier Benítez Public Library. In the municipality of Hatillo an elementary school was named after him. The song "Lamento Borincano", from Rafael Hernández mentions Gautier Benítez in it "Borinquen, la tierra del edén. La que al cantar, el gran Gautier llamó la perla de los mares." In 2019 construction began on the José Gautier Benítez Development, a mixed-income residential area in Caguas.