Epifanio Jiménez Cruz is the son of Epifanio Jiménez Meléndez and Miriam Cruz Rodríguez. He had primary and secondary studies at Colegio La Piedad in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico until he graduated. Later he went to the University of Puerto Rico where he earned a bachelor's degree in commerce with a concentration in Human Resources. Jiménez also enrolled in the U.S. Army ROTC program where in 1988 he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and joined the Puerto Rico Army National Guard. Epifanio Jiménez retired from the Puerto Rico National Guard in 2015 rank of Lieutenant Colonel and continues to work on the logistics branch at the National Guard of Puerto Rico. Epifanio Jiménez is the executive director of the PRNG Institutional Trust (FIGNA).
Political career
In 1984 he began a political career as an electoral worker and president of the New Progressive Party municipal youth committee in Carolina, Puerto Rico. In 1994 Epifanio Jiménez was an aide of Senator Charlie Rodriguez and ran in a special election where he succeeded to become the Representative for the 39th district in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Jiménez was reelected in the 1996,[1] 2000[2] and 2004[3] general elections. In 2004 the 39 district became the 40th district. From 2004 to 2008 Jiménez was the Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 2008, Jiménez ran for Mayor of Carolina, Puerto Rico. The standing mayor, José Aponte Dalmau from the Popular Democratic Party, was able to keep his position.[4]
