Jorge “Georgie” Pierluisi Diaz (September 29, 1927 – May 26, 2023) was a Puerto Rican civil engineer, contractor, and politician. He was the

Secretary of Housing of Puerto Rico The secretary of housing of Puerto Rico () is responsible for homeownership, affordable housing, and community assistance programs in Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto ...

for eight years.

Early life

Pierluisi Diaz was born on September 29, 1927 in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...

. He was a member of Nu Sigma Beta fraternity.

Career

Pierluisi Diaz was started as a lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He worked as a construction inspection, chief inspector, and civil engineer in the Design Department of the Army Antilles Engineers, part of the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

. He became a general contractor and developer who constructed hospitals, hotels, housing, industrial buildings, office buildings, and shopping centers in Puerto Rico. He was the

under the administration of Governor

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...

, between 1977 and 1984. He then became a mediator, and arbitrator and was a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the

American Arbitration Association The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is an organization focused in the field of alternative dispute resolution, one of several arbitration organizations that administers arbitration proceedings. Structured as a non-profit, the AAA also admin ...

. Pierluisi Diaz was a president of the Puerto Rican chapter of the

Associated General Contractors of America The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is a trade association in the United States construction industry,About us
AGC. Acce ...

, who awarded him the Alejandro Herrero Award. He also belonged to the Puerto Rican College of Engineers and Surveyors.

Personal life

Pierluisi Diaz married Doris Herlinda Urrutia Renta on June 16, 1951. They had four children, Caridad, Doris, Jorge, and Pedro. Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia was

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...

from 2021 to 2025. When Doris was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in 2013, Pierluisi Diaz became her caregiver. Pierluisi Diaz died on May 26, 2023, at the age of 96 after being hospitalized for several days. He was buried in the

Puerto Rico National Cemetery Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it ...

Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a Bayamón barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain, it is bounded by Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Guaynabo to the east, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Toa A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierluisi Diaz, Jorge 1927 births 2023 deaths Burials at Puerto Rico National Cemetery 20th-century Puerto Rican engineers 20th-century Puerto Rican politicians Puerto Rican civil engineers United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel