Hernández Colón, Rafael (1936– )

Puerto Rican centrist politician, governor 1973–77 and 1985–93. Active as a Popular Democratic Party (PDP) politician in the 1960s, he served as president of the senate 1969–72. A deteriorating economy led to his defeat as governor in 1976, but he was returned in 1985, defeating the incumbent Carlos Romero Barceló, whose New Progressive Party (PNP) had advocated full US statehood for Puerto Rico (the PDP favoured enhancement of its existing Commonwealth status). After a 1991 referendum vote on the island's future status rejected his government's proposals, he decided not to seek another term as governor.

Hernández Colón studied law at the University of Puerto Rico, but also trained at a US military academy. During the early 1960s he worked as a law professor in Puerto Rico, and became active in the PDP.