Ignacio Pérez de San Quintín
| Ignacio Pérez de San Quintín | |
 | |
 Who's Who of Nouvelle Alexandrie | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ignacio Pérez de San Quintín |
| Titles & Offices |
Speaker of the Federal Assembly (1744 AN-1749 AN), Secretary of Civil Works and Transportation (1739 AN-1744 AN), Deputy of the Federal Assembly for Boriquén (1739 AN-present), Mayor of Hato Rey (1729 AN-1734 AN) |
| Birth Date | 8.IX.1688 AN |
| Birth Place |
  Hato Rey, Boriquén |
| Parents | Eduardo Pérez Morales, Carmen de San Quintín Vázquez |
| Spouse | Isabella Rodríguez Pérez |
| Children | Four children |
| Education | Civil engineering, architecture, applied mathematics |
| Alma Mater | University of Cárdenas |
| Occupation | Politician, civil engineer, architect, mathematician |
| Political Affiliation | Federal Humanist Party |
| Organizations |
Federal Humanist Party New Alexandrian Institute of Civil Engineers Boriquén Architects Association Mathematical Society of Nouvelle Alexandrie |
| Known For | Speaker of the Federal Assembly; infrastructure policy; the San Quintín incident |
| Residence | Hato Rey, Boriquén |
| National Origin |
Boriquén |
| Citizenship(s) |
Nouvelle Alexandrie |
Ignacio Pérez de San Quintín (born 8.IX.1688 AN) is a New Alexandrian politician, civil engineer, architect, and mathematician who served as Speaker of the Federal Assembly from 1744 AN to 1749 AN. A member of Boriquén's Martino community, he has represented the region as a Deputy of the Federal Assembly since 1739 AN.
Trained as an engineer, Pérez de San Quintín entered public life as Mayor of Hato Rey from 1729 AN to 1734 AN before Premier Juan Pablo Jimenez brought him into the Council of State as Secretary of Civil Works and Transportation, a post he held from 1739 AN to 1744 AN and in which he oversaw the early years of the National Infrastructure Renewal Program. Moved out of the portfolio in the cabinet reshuffle that followed the 1744 general election, he was elected Speaker of the Federal Assembly for the 11th Cortes Federales, becoming the first holder of the office to come from an organized parliamentary party.[1] His name later entered New Alexandrian popular speech through the folk saying "Y se formó las de San Quintín".
Early life and education
Pérez de San Quintín was born on 8.IX.1688 AN in Hato Rey, the capital of Boriquén, to Eduardo Pérez Morales and Carmen de San Quintín Vázquez. The family belonged to the region's Martino community, a minority in a region whose majority is Wakara and whose regional politics are dominated by the Wakara People's Party. He was raised in Hato Rey during the decades of the city's growth as a port and commercial center on Lake Cherusken.
He studied at the University of Cárdenas in the Federal Capital District, taking degrees in civil engineering, architecture, and applied mathematics. That training in three related fields shaped a career that moved between engineering practice, municipal administration, and national infrastructure policy.
Engineering career
After completing his studies, Pérez de San Quintín returned to Boriquén and established an engineering and architectural consultancy in Hato Rey. His practice worked on urban infrastructure and public works in the growing regional capital, and he was active in the New Alexandrian Institute of Civil Engineers, the Boriquén Architects Association, and the Mathematical Society of Nouvelle Alexandrie. The standing he built in private practice brought him into municipal politics and, later, national government.
Mayor of Hato Rey
Pérez de San Quintín was elected Mayor of Hato Rey in 1729 AN, the first Federal Humanist Party candidate to win the mayoralty of a city that is a Wakara People's Party stronghold. As mayor he pursued a program of urban infrastructure and public works drawn from his engineering background. He served a single term and lost his bid for re-election in 1734 AN to Alicia Filipenses of the Wakara People's Party, after which he returned to private practice. His time in office is also remembered for the 1732 AN council episode that gave rise to the saying "Y se formó las de San Quintín" (see below).
Council of State
In 1739 AN, following his return to the private sector, Pérez de San Quintín was recruited by Premier Juan Pablo Jimenez to the Council of State as Secretary of Civil Works and Transportation, and was returned to the Federal Assembly as a Deputy for Boriquén. As Secretary he was responsible for the Federation's roads, railways, ports, airports, and public housing, and he oversaw the launch and early years of the National Infrastructure Renewal Program (NIRP), the flagship public-works program of the Jimenez government's A Better Deal agenda.
Testifying before the Federal Assembly in 1743 AN, he defended the concentration of NIRP contracts among a small number of large firms, arguing that they were "the only firms in Nouvelle Alexandrie with the technical capacity, workforce, and organizational structure to execute projects of this magnitude."[2] Those firms included Constructora de Hato Rey, the largest construction company in Boriquén and a lead contractor on the high-speed rail line then under construction between Cárdenas and his home city of Hato Rey.
Speaker of the Federal Assembly
In the cabinet reshuffle that followed the 1744 general election, Premier Jimenez replaced Pérez de San Quintín at Civil Works and Transportation with Deputy Martin Blanchard.[3] He was elected Speaker of the Federal Assembly for the 11th Cortes Federales, presiding over the lower house from 1744 AN to 1749 AN while continuing to sit as a Deputy for Boriquén.
As Speaker he presided over the sittings of the Assembly, ruled on points of order, and countersigned the King's appointment of the President of the Government; in keeping with the office, he renounced his party affiliation on taking the chair.[1] He was the first Speaker to come from an organized parliamentary party, earlier holders having been non-partisan or independent figures.[1] During the 11th Cortes Federales the session's two designated deputy presiding officers were Janice Mantorani of the Federal Consensus Party and Lawrence Tennison of the Federal Humanist Party.[4] His speakership spanned a crowded legislative agenda that included the emergency authorization of military action in the Euran crisis and the government's "Great Society" program.[4] He was succeeded in the chair by Carolina Mendez at the close of the session in 1749 AN.
Personal life
Pérez de San Quintín is married to Isabella Rodríguez Pérez, with whom he has four children. He continues to reside in Hato Rey, Boriquén.
The San Quintín incident
Pérez de San Quintín's name became part of New Alexandrian popular culture following an incident during his tenure as Mayor of Hato Rey in 1732 AN. During a city council meeting on a contested waterfront development, his attempt to restore order with a combination of parliamentary procedure, engineering diagrams, and increasingly animated gestures ended in a chaotic scene of shouting, flying papers, and council members walking out. The episode, broadcast on local television, gave rise to the phrase "Y se formó las de San Quintín" (literally "and the San Quintín situation formed"), used throughout Nouvelle Alexandrie to describe a situation in which an attempt to solve a problem only makes it worse, or a minor disagreement escalates into a full argument.[5] The Common Tongue variant "He San Quintín'd the vibe" is used among younger New Alexandrians for someone who accidentally turns a calm situation chaotic through well-meaning but misjudged intervention.[5]
See also
- Speaker of the Federal Assembly of Nouvelle Alexandrie
- 11th Cortes Federales
- Department of Civil Works and Transportation (Nouvelle Alexandrie)
- National Infrastructure Renewal Program
- Council of State of Nouvelle Alexandrie
- Federal Humanist Party
- Boriquén
- Hato Rey
