José Tous Soto


José Tous Soto was a Puerto Rican politician and former Senator and Representative.

Early years and education

José Tous Soto was born in San Lorenzo on October 2, 1874. He graduated with a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Oviedo in Spain.

Appointed as judge

He was appointed Associate Judge of the District Court of Arecibo. In 1903 Soto sits as district judge of the important office of San Juan, then moving to Ponce again, where he served until 1908.

Political career

Party alliance

Tous began his political career with the Liberal Fusionist Party, led by Luis Muñoz Rivera. He then joined the Republican Party.

Legislator

In 1900, he was chosen to occupy a seat in the House of Delegates of Puerto Rico, representing the district of Guayama. In 1914, he was elected for another term, this time representing the district of Ponce.
In 1917, Tous was a member of the first Puerto Rican Senate established by the Jones-Shafroth Act. He represented the District VI.
Served as Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from 1925 to 1930.
When the Campbell autonomy plan was presented in Congress in 1922, Tous opposed it. The project offered Puerto Rico the possible development of an autonomous state.

Leadership in the Alianza

He continued serving at the Senate, until 1924. That year, Tous and Antonio Barceló, then Senate president, led a merging of the Republican Party with the opposing Union of Puerto Rico, forming Alianza Puertorriqueña. The merging came as a means to unify the efforts of the politicians legislating in favor of better conditions for Puerto Ricans. As a result, Tous became a member of the House of Representatives while Barceló continued in the Senate.

Death

Tous Soto died on March 22, 1933.