Foraker Act

Organic Act of 1900
Other short titles	Foraker Act
Long title	An Act Temporarily to provide revenues and a civic government for Puerto Rico, and for other purposes
Enacted by	the 56th United States Congress
Effective	April 12, 1900
Citations
Public law	Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 56–191
Statutes at Large	31 Stat. 77
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate by Joseph B. Foraker (R–OH); Signed into law by President William McKinley on April 12, 1900;

The Foraker Act, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 56–191, 31 Stat. 77, enacted April 12, 1900, officially known as the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian (albeit limited popular) government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had recently become a possession of the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto Rican citizenship and extended American nationality to Puerto Ricans.^[1] President William McKinley signed the act on April 12, 1900^[2] and it became known as the Foraker Act after its sponsor, Ohio Senator Joseph B. Foraker. Its main author has been identified as Secretary of War Elihu Root.^[3]

The new government had a governor and an 11-member executive council appointed by the President of the United States, a House of Representatives with 35 elected members, a judicial system with a Supreme Court and a United States District Court, and a non-voting Resident Commissioner in Congress.^[4]^[5]

The executive council was all appointed: five individuals were selected from Puerto Rico residents while the rest were from those in top cabinet positions, including attorney general and chief of police (also appointed by the president). The Insular Supreme Court was also appointed. In addition, all federal laws of the United States were to be in effect on the island. The first civil governor of the island under the Foraker Act was Charles H. Allen, inaugurated on May 1, 1900, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This law was superseded in 1917 by the Jones–Shafroth Act.

^ "Race Space and the Puerto Rican Citizenship". academic.udayton.edu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
^ The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1901, p93
^ Venator-Santiago, Charles R. "Territorial Status". El Instituto, Puerto Rico Citizenship Archives Project. University of Connecticut.
^ CONSEJO DE SALUD PLAYA DE PONCE v JOHNNY RULLAN, SECRETARY OF HEALTH OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO (PDF), The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2011, retrieved December 20, 2009
^ Maldonado, Yanelba Mota. "Ocupación Militar y la ley Foraker". Enciclopedia PR (in Spanish). Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

[1] "Race Space and the Puerto Rican Citizenship". academic.udayton.edu. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2019.

[2] The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1901, p93

[El_Instituto-3] Venator-Santiago, Charles R. "Territorial Status". El Instituto, Puerto Rico Citizenship Archives Project. University of Connecticut.

[4] CONSEJO DE SALUD PLAYA DE PONCE v JOHNNY RULLAN, SECRETARY OF HEALTH OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO (PDF), The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2011, retrieved December 20, 2009

[Ency_PR_Foraker_Act-5] Maldonado, Yanelba Mota. "Ocupación Militar y la ley Foraker". Enciclopedia PR (in Spanish). Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

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