Walter McJones

Who is Walter McJones?

Walter McJones founded the municipality of Villalba in Puerto Rico and was the first Mayor of Villalba between 1917 and 1919.

McJones was born to an upper-middle-class family in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at St. Mark Selione College, subsequently obtaining a law degree from Harvard University.

McJones's family traveled frequently; during one of his visits to the Caribbean he became interested in Puerto Rico. McJones relocated to Puerto Rico, along with two sisters, Mina and Charlotte, circa 1904 on what is now known as Route 10.

McJones's business contacts included Alexander Marvin, an American working for Banco de Ponce at the time, who became his brother-in-law by marrying McJones's sister: Mina. McJones and Marvin together purchased «Hacienda El Semil» in Villalba. Later obtaining an additional 500 acres from the Olivieri family in «El Limón» in ward «Hato Puerco Arriba».

McJones married Helen Buchanan.

Walter McJones, José Ramón Figueroa y Rivera, and José Victor Figueroa are credited, through the Municipal Council appointed by Governor Arthur Yager, for founding the Municipality of Villalba in 1917. McJones also served as the first mayor of Villalba.