Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr.

Oscar Garcia Rivera Sr. (November 6, 1900 – February 14, 1969) was a politician, lawyer and activist. Garcia Rivera made history when in 1937 he became the first Puerto Rican to be elected to public office in the continental United States. In 1956, he also became the first Puerto Rican to be nominated as the Republican candidate for Justice of the City Court.

Early years Garcia Rivera was born in the city of Mayagüez, located in the western region of Puerto Rico, to a prosperous family who owned a coffee plantation. There he received his primary and secondary education. He attended the Escuela Central Grammar (Junior High School), where he was valedictorian of his graduating class in 1921, and in 1925 was the Class President of the graduating class from Mayagüez High School.

In 1917, during his school years, the United States became involved in World War I and the U.S. Congress approved the Jones-Shafroth Act, which gave Puerto Ricans a United States citizenship with limitations. Puerto Ricans became eligible for the military draft, plus they were now permitted to hold public office in the mainland United States, however Puerto Ricans in the island were not allowed to vote for the president nor were they allowed to have representatives in the US legislature, other than the Resident Commissioner, who did not have the right to vote in any of the measures presented before Congress.

Labor activist Garcia Rivera visited New York City as soon as he finished high school and returned home. In 1926, he moved to Manhattan and rented an apartment on West 110th Street in a barrio made up mostly of Puerto Ricans known as Spanish Harlem. Garcia Rivera applied for a position in the City Hall Postal Office and proceeded to take the Postal Clerk's examination. In the meantime he held a part-time job at the Boerum and Pease Binder factory in Brooklyn. He was a witness of the July 1926, "Harlem Riots" against the Puerto Rican. As the economic situation in the United States worsened in a prelude to the Great Depression, many Puerto Ricans in the mainland found themselves competing with other groups for the positions of unskilled labor such as dishwashers, maintenance and laundry workers. This led to the riots between unemployed Jews and Puerto Ricans.

With a score of 98.4% on his Postal Clerk examinations, Garcia Rivera was appointed to the City Hall Post Office. García Rivera became active in the Postal Clerks' Union of America. He encouraged other Puerto Rican and Hispanic employees to participate in the union and to seek higher wages and better working conditions. Prominent labor leaders in the country took notice, thereby earning their respect and support. but was re-elected in November 1938 on the American Labor ticket only. He sat in the 162nd New York State Legislature in 1939 and 1940. During his term in office, he emphasized issues of child labor, protective laws for workers, labor services, and anti-discrimination legislation.

Garcia Rivera's son Oscar Jr., followed his fathers footsteps. He graduated from Harvard Law School and was active in the Puerto Rican community. Garcia-Rivera Jr. was the director of the youth organization ASPIRA, and in 1978 was named executive director of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund which he helped create. He died on August 5, 2000, after a brief and sudden illness.

On February 22, 2002 The United States Post Office building located at 153 East 110th Street, East Harlem New York "Hellgate" was renamed the Oscar Garcia Rivera Post Office Building and on January 1, 2000, Garcia Rivera became the first Inductee in the East Harlem.com Hall of Fame.