Editing María de Lourdes Santiago

{{short description|Puerto Rican politician}}
{{Infobox office holder
| name                = María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón
| image               = María de Lourdes Santiago.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = Santiago in 2021
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1968|11|13}}
| birth_place         = [[Adjuntas, Puerto Rico]]
| birth_name          = 
| nationality         = [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]]
| party               = [[Puerto Rican Independence Party|PIP]]
| spouse              = 
| children            = Jose Julián
| alma_mater          = [[University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus]] {{small|(B.A. in Drama; J.D.)}}
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
* [[Attorney at law|Attorney]]
* [[politician]]
}}
| office1             = Member of [[Puerto Rican Senate]]<br>from at-large district
| term_start1         = January 2, 2021
| term_end1           = 
| term_start2         = January 2, 2013
| term_end2           = January 2, 2017
| term_start3         = January 2, 2005
| term_end3           = January 1, 2009
| office              = [[Vice President]] of [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]]
| term_start          = 2001
| website             = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20090122154238/http://senadopr.us/senadores/sen_msantiago.php|Website}}
}}

'''María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón''' is a [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] [[lawyer]] and [[politician]] from [[Adjuntas, Puerto Rico|Adjuntas]]. She is the current [[Vice President|vice-president]] of the [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]] (PIP) and in 2004 became the first woman from that party to be elected into the [[Senate of Puerto Rico|Senate]] in the [[history of Puerto Rico]].<ref name=entrev>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/nota/conlahonradezcomoagenda-1315739/|date=August 5, 2012|journal =[[El Nuevo Día]]|title =Con la honradez como agenda|language= es |access-date=June 7, 2016}}</ref> She currently serves as Senator at-large at the Puerto Rico Senate after being elected in 2020 with the most votes of any candidate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=María de Lourdes Santiago está "sorprendida y agradecida" tras amplia elección al Senado por acumulación|url=https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/notas/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-esta-sorprendida-y-agradecida-tras-amplia-eleccion-al-senado-por-acumulacion/|access-date=2021-03-01|website=El Nuevo Día|date=4 November 2020|language=spanish}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20211125153007/https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/notas/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-esta-sorprendida-y-agradecida-tras-amplia-eleccion-al-senado-por-acumulacion/ Archived.]</ref> She was re-elected in 2024.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.periodicolaperla.com/elecciones-2024/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-domina-en-el-senado-por-acumulacion/|date=November 6, 2024|journal =La Perla del Sur|title =María de Lourdes Santiago domina en el Senado por acumulación|language= es |access-date=November 6, 2024}}</ref>

==Biographical facts==
Santiago Negrón was born in [[Adjuntas, Puerto Rico|Adjuntas]]<ref name="auto">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090122154238/http://senadopr.us/senadores/sen_msantiago.php ''Hon. María de Lourdes Santiago.''] Senate of Puerto Rico. Accessed February 13, 2018.</ref> on November 13, 1968,<ref name="auto1">[http://endata.prdecide.elnuevodia.com/legislativo/100 ''Perfil de María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón, Senador(a).''] ENData Legislativo. El Nuevo Dia. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Accessed February 13, 2018.</ref> to Ernesto Santiago and Haydée Negrón.<ref name="auto2">[http://independencia.net/2015-11-30-02-46-29/2015-12-02-03-38-18/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-2 ''María de Lourdes Santiago.''] Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño. September 19, 2010. Accessed February 13, 2018.</ref> After graduating from high school in Adjuntas in 1986, she earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[theatre]] and a [[Juris Doctor]] from the [[University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras]].<ref name="auto1"/>

==Career==
From 1997 to 2000, she worked as a [[legal counsel]] for [[Victor García San Inocencio]] while he served in the [[House of Representatives of Puerto Rico]], and for [[Manuel Rodríguez Orellana]] and  [[Fernando Martín García]] while they served as [[Senate of Puerto Rico|Senator]]s.<ref name="auto"/>

In January 2001, she was elected as vice-president of her political party, and in 2003 announced her candidacy as Senator for the [[Puerto Rico General Elections of 2004]].  On November 2, 2004, Santiago was elected, becoming the first woman to represent the Puerto Rican Independence Party in Puerto Rico's Senate.<ref name="auto"/>

As a senator, Santiago has been involved in women's, mental health and special education issues, among others.<ref name="auto2"/>

Santiago is the writer of a column that is published in the ''[[El Vocero]]'' newspaper. She was arrested during the [[Navy-Vieques protests]] for illegally trespassing military facilities to protest the [[United States Armed Forces|United States military]]'s bombing practice in [[Vieques]]. She spent one month in jail as part of her sentence.<ref name="auto2"/>

==Personal life==
Santiago Negrón has one son.<ref name="auto2"/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Facebook|mariadelourdessantiagopip}}
* {{TikTok|mariadelourdespip}}
* [https://twitter.com/home Official X account]
* [https://mariadelourdes.net/conoceme/ official site]
* {{Instagram|mariadelourdessantiago}}
* [https://mariadelourdes.net/conoceme/ Biography] 
* [http://www.independencia.net Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP)] {{in lang|es}}
* [http://www.independencia.net/2015-11-30-02-46-29/2015-12-02-03-38-18/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-2 Santiago Biography at the PIP website - official site] {{in lang|es}}, {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002094010/http://www.independencia.net/2015-11-30-02-46-29/2015-12-02-03-38-18/maria-de-lourdes-santiago-2 |date=October 2, 2016 }}

{{25th Senate of Puerto Rico}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santiago, Maria De Lourdes}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:People from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican independence activists]]
[[Category:Puerto Rico Independence Party politicians]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican nationalists]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican women in politics]]
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:University of Puerto Rico alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico]]