José Conrado Hernández

José Conrado Hernández Santiago (February 19, 1849 – June 20, 1932) served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1909 to 1922.

Born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, he obtained his bachelors degree in San Juan in 1865, a degree in Civil and Canon Law at the University of Salamanca in 1873, as well as a doctorate in theology.

He began practicing law in 1874 and was a Judge of First Instance in Aguadilla and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, as well as Santiago, Cuba. He served as a Magistrate in Pinar Del Río and Santa Clara, also in Cuba, as well as in Cibú and Manila, in the Philippines, before serving in Puerto Rico under Spanish rule. After the change of sovereignty to the United States, he was President of Puerto Rico's highest court in 1899 and was appointed Associate Justice of the new Supreme Court in 1900, a post held until his appointment as Chief Justice in 1909.

He passed away on June 20, 1932, at the ripe age of 83.

Sources

*La Justicia en sus Manos, by Luis Rafael Rivera, 2007, ISBN 1-57581-884-1