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Valentín Tricoche
Valentín Tricoche
	Valentín Tricoche, circa 1850
Born	ca. 1800; Puerto Rico
Died	1863; Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Occupation(s)	Landowner, Hacendado

Valentín Tricoche (c. 1800 – 1863) was a Puerto Rican land owner and philanthropist from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He is best remembered for his generous donation that made possible the building of Hospital Tricoche.

Early years

Valentin Tricoche was born in Puerto Rico around 1800.^[1]

Landowner

He became a wealthy land owner in Ponce with lands on the western bank of Rio Bucana which included lands with a stone mine.^[5] He also owned a significant amount of land in barrio Segundo, north-west of the city of Ponce proper, which he later donated for the construction of a hospital and shelter.

Philanthropist

Tricoche made possible the establishment of the "Albergue Caritativo Tricoche" (English: Tricoche Charitable Shelter) in 1878 thanks to an endowment he left in his will to the city of Ponce. The funds were to be used for the construction of a shelter-hospital for the poor and needy of Ponce.^[6] The hospital came to be known as Hospital Tricoche. Tricoche also made possible the construction of Ponce's Alfonso XII Aqueduct.^[7] Tricoche donated 82,970 Spanish pesos^[8] to the city, of which 47,300 Spanish pesos were used to build the hospital. The remaining money was used to build the city's aqueduct.^[9]^[10] He saw the aqueduct as an investment and his plan was that money obtained from the sale of water to city residents and local businesses and industry could be used for the maintenance of the hospital.^[11]

Death and honors

Valentín Tricoche died in 1863.^[6] His remains were laid to rest at the hospital that bears his name.^[8] A plaque at the Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro states Valentin Tricoche is buried at the Panteón, but upon construction of the hospital 22 years later (in 1885), his remains were moved to the hospital site where they still remain today.^[12]

On 7 March 2003, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved Senate Bill 1812 declaring November 15 of each year as “Philanthropy Day,” to acknowledge and promote valuable and generous philanthropic action of citizens on behalf of the People of Puerto Rico.^[7] It declared that "the Spanish gentleman, Mr. Valentín Tricoche, to mention an example of the past, represents the power of philanthropy and civic value of those who practice the same. Don Valentín provided the city of Ponce with an important public hospital that carries his name, as well as the Alfonso XII aqueduct, a beautiful structure that still exists today, and which, for many years, served the southern population."

References

^ ^a ^b Citing Archivo General de Puerto Rico (AGPR, Records of the Spanish Governors of Puerto Rico [formerly, Record Group # 186 at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.], Political and Civil Affairs, entry 9, box 14, "Lista...de los vecinos blancos..."), Francisco Antonio Scarano states Valentin Tricoche was born in Puerto Rico. See "Sugar and slavery in Puerto Rico: the municipality of Ponce, 1815-1849." Appendix A: "On the National Origin of the Hacendados." page 442. Ph. D. Thesis. Columbia University. 1978.
^ Francisco Antonio Scarano. Sugar and Slavery in Puerto Rico: The Municipality of Ponce, 1815-1849. Columbia University Ph.D., 1978. p. 442. Published in Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms International, 1988. (Subsequently published as an independent work on its own right: Sugar and slavery in Puerto Rico : the plantation economy of Ponce, 1800-1850. Francisco A Scarano. Publisher in Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. 1984. OCLC 874170682)
^ Ivette Perez Vega. Las Sociedades Mercantiles de Ponce (1816-1830). Academia Puertorriqueña de la Historia. San Juan, PR: Ediciones Puerto. 2015. p. 256.ISBN 9781617900563
^ Francisco Antonio Scarano. "Sugar and slavery in Puerto Rico: the municipality of Ponce, 1815-1849." Appendix A: "On the National Origin of the Hacendados." page 442. Ph. D. Thesis. Columbia University. 1978. (Citing Archivo General de Puerto Rico, Records of the Spanish Governors of Puerto Rico [formerly, Record Group # 186 at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.], Political and Civil Affairs, entry 9, box 14, "Lista de los vecinos blancos...")
^ Ramon Marin. Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. Page 187.
^ ^a ^b Mariano G. Coronas Castro, Certifying Official; Felix J. del Campo, State Historian; and Jorge Ortiz Colom, State Architect, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) April 7, 1987. In National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 3. Listing Reference Number 87000769. 14 May 1986.
^ ^a ^b AN ACT To declare November 15 of each year as “Philanthropy Day,” to acknowledge and promote valuable and generous philanthropic action of citizens on behalf of the People of Puerto Rico. S. B. 1812. Act Number 78. Approved 7 March 2003. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Valentin Tricoche." Museo de la Historia de Ponce. March 2011.
^ Socorro Giron. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de La Almudaina. Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. 1992. pp. 171, 172. (Citing Lidio Cruz Monclova's Historia de Puerto Rico, Tomo II, pp. 871, 872.)
^ Diccionario Enciclopédico.^{[permanent dead link‍]} Escolar.com. Tomo XVII. Page 98.
^ Luis Fortuño Janeiro. "Album Historico de Ponce (1692-1963)". Page 102. 1963. Imprenta Fortuño. Ponce, Puerto Rico.
^ Socorro Giron. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina. Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. 1992. p. 170.