José M. Dávila Monsanto

José M. Dávila Monsanto (November 2, 1905 – April 4, 2001) was a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who in 1938 co-founded the political party Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico (Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico or "PPD"). He served in the Puerto Rican Senate as senator for the Guayama district.

Early years Dávila Monsanto was one of eight siblings born to Juan A. Dávila and María Monsanto in the town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. There he received his primary education. He moved to Rio Piedras, where he finished his secondary education at the Normal School of the University of Puerto Rico and after his graduation he was accepted in the university where he earned his bachelor's degree in Education. He went on to study law and in 1934 earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. On August 20, 1937, Dávila Monsanto married Inés Lopés Rodríguez on August 20, 1937, and had three children; Inés María, José Manuel and Juan Antonio.

The Río Piedras massacre of four Puerto Rican Nationalist Party members occurred on October 24, 1935. The Nationalist Party blamed these deaths on Elisha Francis Riggs, a former United States Army Colonel whom, at the time, was the top U.S.-appointed police officer on the entire island. Consequently, on February 23, 1936, Colonel Riggs was assassinated by Nationalists Hiram Rosado and Elías Beauchamp. This prompted U.S Senator Millard Tydings to introduce a legislation to grant independence to Puerto Rico. and founded the "Partido Popular Democratico de Puerto Rico" known in English as the "Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico" (PDP). The party at first ran on an independence platform, but later abandoned the idea and instead supported Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's status as a commonwealth of the United States. He was named the party's vice-president in the town of Guayama.