and Ernesto Ramos Antonini and founded the "Partido Popular Democratico de Puerto Rico" known in English as the "Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico" (PDP). The party at first ran on an independence platform, but later abandoned the idea and instead supported Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's status as a commonwealth of the United States. He was named the party's vice-president in the town of Guayama. In 1940, he served on the Advisory Board of the Selective Service in Rio Piedras. From 1942 to 1945, he served on the governing board of the Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico. In 1943, he was elected and served as a delegate to the first Pro Independence Congress. In 1944, Dávila Monsanto, was elected to the Puerto Rican Senate in representation of the District of Guayama and presided over the Senate Regulations and Special Issues committee. From 1951 to 1952, Dávila Monsanto was a member of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the Constitution of Puerto Rico. As a member of the assembly, he fought for the abolition of the death penalty. Legacy In 1978, the town of Guayama proclaimed Dávila Monsanto Hijo Adoptivo Distinguido de la Ciudad de Guayama (Distinguished Adopted Son of the City of Guayama). On April 4, 2001, Dávila Monsanto died in his home in Guayama. The government of Puerto Rico named the highway that extends from PR-54 (Puerto Rico Highway 54), in Guayama, to PR-52, in Salinas the Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto (the José M. Dávila Monsanto Highway). See also List of Puerto Ricans Notes References 1905 births 2001 deaths People from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians Puerto Rican activists Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican party leaders Puerto Rican independence activists University of Puerto Rico alumni 20th-century American politicians