Luis Gautier y Quesada was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 8 December 1897 to 20 June 1898. He was the first of two mayors to lead the municipality of Ponce under the Spanish Crown's "Decreto Autonómico para Puerto Rico", whereby Puerto Rico was granted autonomy by Spain.
Background
Gautier Quesada's participation in the Ponce political landscape had a long trajectory. He had been one of the signers of the 14 November 1886 Plan de Ponce. In 1887, he was one of 10 delegates from Ponce to the Island-wide political assembly held at Teatro La Perla, and which resulted in the founding of the Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño. He had also been a long-time member of the Ponce Municipal Council, and immediately prior to becoming mayor, he also held the post of Teniente de Alcalde, the equivalent of a deputy mayor.
Mayoral term
Puerto Rico had received from Spain a Charter of Autonomy on 25 November 1897, just 2 weeks before Gautier Quesada took office. Gautier Quesada became mayor of Ponce after the then-mayor of Ponce, Miguel Rosich y Más, resigned upon Puerto Rico receiving the Charter of Autonomy. Rosich Más resigned upon Puerto Rico receiving its Charter of Autonomy. As deputy mayor, Gautier Quesada automatically became mayor on an interim basis. Gautier was the sitting mayor of Ponce when Spain declared war on the United States, and municipal governmentcash flow immediately became a concern. One direct result of the war was that the salaries of all municipal employees were slashed. Also, while the war carried on, Gautier Quesada also made sure there was enough of a supply of groceries and other basic necessities in the stores to help feed the residents of Ponce. Under the threat of an American incursion into Puerto Rico, Gautier Quesada also dealt with the depletion of the existing reserves of coal for lightingthe city streets. As the municipality had a business contract with the owners of the gasometro, the municipality moved to appropriate the holdings of the gasometro when the company failed to keep the terms of the contract, which included the Company would keep 200 tons of coal in reserves - but it had none. So the municipal government took over the company and provided the city lighting during the breakdown—albeit petroleum, not coal—was used. He was mayor until 20 June 1898, when Ulpiano Colom took over as mayor.
