Tulio Larrinaga

Who was Tulio Larrinaga?

Tulio Larrinaga was a Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.

Born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Larrinaga attended the Seminario Consiliar of San Ildefonso at San Juan, Puerto Rico. He studied civil engineering at the Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and, in 1871, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Larrinaga practiced his profession in the United States for some time, returning to Puerto Rico in 1872 where he was appointed architect for the city of San Juan. In 1880, Larrinaga built the first railroad in Puerto Rico and introduced American rolling stock onto the island. For ten years he was the chief engineer of the Provincial Works.

Larrinaga's involvement in politics began in 1898, when he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Interior in the Autonomist government. Two years later, he was sent by his party as a delegate to Washington, DC.

Larrinaga served as member of the house of delegates for the district of Arecibo in 1902. In 1904, he was elected as a Unionist Resident Commissioner to the United States. He was reelected twice, serving from March 4, 1905, until March 3, 1911. Larrinaga also served as delegate from the United States to the Third Pan-American Conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 1906. In 1911, he served as a member of the executive council of Puerto Rico.