Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez

Lawrence N. "Larry" Seilhamer Rodríguez (born December 13, 1954) is a Puerto Rican politician who is the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP), and was a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico from January 7, 2009 until January 15, 2020.[2] Seilhamer is also a former basketball player for the Baloncesto Superior Nacional from 1972 to 1984. On December 2, 2020, he was nominated as Puerto Rico Secretary of State by Governor-elect Pedro R. Pierluisi.[3]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Seilhamer and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Larry Seilhamer
Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
Assumed office
January 2, 2021
GovernorPedro Pierluisi
Preceded byRaúl Márquez Hernández
President pro tempore of the Puerto Rico Senate
In office
January 2, 2017 – January 15, 2020
Preceded byJosé Luis Dalmau
Succeeded byHenry Neumann
Majority Leader of the Puerto Rico Senate
In office
August 31, 2011 – December 31, 2016
Preceded byRoberto Arango
Succeeded byAníbal José Torres
Member of the Puerto Rico Senate
from the at-large district
In office
January 2, 2013 – December 31, 2017
Member of the Puerto Rico Senate
from the Ponce district
In office
January 2009 – January 2013
Serving with Luis Berdiel
Preceded byRamón Ruiz
Martín Vargas Morales
Succeeded byModesto Agosto Alicea
Bruno Ramos
Personal details
Born (1954-12-13) December 13, 1954
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyNew Progressive
Other political
affiliations		Republican[1]
Children4
EducationUniversity of New Haven (BS)
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (BS)
Basketball career
Personal information
Nationality United States
Career information
Playing career1972–1984
Career history
1972–1978
1981–1982		Leones
1979–1980Indios
1983–1984Vaqueros

Early years and education

Seilhamer Rodríguez was born in New York City on December 13, 1954. His parents were George Seilhamer and Isabel Rodríguez, and he is the youngest of four children. Seilhamer was raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he studied his elementary and high school at the Santa María Academy.

In 1976, Seilhamer received his Bachelor's degree in Civil engineering from the University of New Haven, graduating cum laude. In 1979, he completed a second bachelor's degree in Science, with a concentration in Pre-medicine, from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. In 1983, Seilhamer joined the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico as a licensed engineer.

Sports career

During his time in college, Seilhamer was part of the basketball team of the University of New Haven. When he was 17 years old, he also joined the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league, as a member of the Leones de Ponce. After playing for the Indios de Canóvanas and the Vaqueros de Bayamón, he retired in 1984. During his 1980 season with Canóvanas, Seilhamer averaged 13.5 points per game.[4]

Seilhamer is also a tennis player, and represented Puerto Rico in several tournaments. In 2001 and 2004, Seilhamer was owner of the Leonas de Ponce female volleyball team.

BSN player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1972 Ponce 5.423-.4002.21.05.2
1973 Ponce 28.406-.7081.40.57.0
1974 Ponce 28.339-.5531.20.43.5
1975 Ponce 29.455-.6732.60.67.4
1976 Ponce 31.431-.6273.30.87.2
1977 Ponce 31.419-.6671.81.16.5
1978 Ponce 29.478-.6612.32.210.9
1979 Canóvanas 26.497-.6212.20.97.8
1980 Canóvanas 30.500-.7232.31.413.5
1981 Ponce 32.545.000.7232.81.513.3
1982 Ponce 22.369-.6151.40.64.2
1983 Bayamón 29.432.500.6671.61.06.5
1984 Bayamón 21.402.286.7500.60.64.6
Career 341.456.294.6662.01.07.9

Political career

As part of his political career, Seilhamer worked for the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce as Director of Budget and Planning Operations, as well as Director of Housing and Urban Development. More recently he was the president of Southern Consultants and Engineers, an engineering and surveying company based in Ponce.

In February 2007, Seilhamer decided to participate in the primaries of his party for the Senate of Puerto Rico. On March 9, 2008, he received the most votes for the position of Senator for the District of Ponce.[5] On November 4, 2008, he was elected as Senator at the general elections, being the first time the New Progressive Party had won that district in 16 years.[6]

Seilhamer was elected to the Puerto Rico Senate on November 4, 2008 representing the District of Ponce. In the Senate, he is the chairman of the Urban and Infrastructure Committee. In addition, his fellow senators chose him to serve as the Senate Majority Whip for the 2009–2012 term, making him the fourth highest-ranking member of the Puerto Rico Senate.

In August, 2011, Seilhamer became Senate Majority Leader, after he was chosen to fill the vacancy left by Roberto Arango.[7] He also became chairman of the Comisión de Reglas y Calendario (English: Rules and Scheduling Committee).[8] He is also President of the Special Commission for the Puerto de las Américas.

Re-election

On 20 March 2011, he announced his intention not to seek another term as Senator for the District of Ponce, deciding to run for a Senator At-large seat. This came as a result of the failure of a Senate bill, which he had authored, which would have ordered the Puerto Rico Buildings Authority to build a new vocational school in Ponce to replace the 60-year-old Escuela Superior Vocacional Bernardino Cordero Bernard.[9]

On August 16, 2011, Seilhamer confirmed that he would seek reelection to the Senate in 2012, this time as a Senator At-large, and that he wouldn't challenge María "Mayita" Meléndez for Mayor of Ponce.[10] During the 2012 general elections, Seilhamer was reelected despite the defeat of his party in most of the other seats. In addition, he was selected as the Minority Leader for the NPP delegation starting January 2, 2013.

On June 5, 2016 he was renominated for a second term as a senator at-large and for a third term as a member of the Senate.

On January 13, 2020, he resigned from the Senate effective January 15, 2020 citing his desire to spend more time with family, who lived in the southern city of Ponce and in the United States.[11] His resignation was "irrevocable, final, and firm."[12]

Personal life

Seilhamer has four children with Linda Anadon. Their names are Dennis, David, Desiree and Debora.[13] Debora (born on 1985) played for the USC Trojans volleyball team of the University of Southern California. She and her sister Desirée also played in the Puerto Rico Professional Volleyball League.[14]

References
  1. Estadistas reconsiderarían afiliación al Partido Republicano en caso de que Donald Trump gane las primarias
  2. Senado se despide de Larry Seilhamer. MagazinePuertoRico.com 13 January 2020. Accessed 21 February 2020.
  3. https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/gobierno/notas/pedro-pierluisi-nominara-a-larry-seilhamer-a-la-secretaria-de-estado-y-domingo-emanuelli-a-justicia/
  4. Larry Seilhamer Player Profile on BSN
  5. Primarias 2008: Escrutinio General Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine on CEEPUR
  6. Elecciones Generales 2008: Escrutinio General Archived 2011-11-20 at the Wayback Machine on CEEPUR
  7. Larry Seilhamer sustituirá a Roberto Arango y dice que el tema debe concluir on Primera Hora (August 28, 2011)
  8. Gana poder político Seilhamer Rodríguez. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. 31 August 2011. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  9. No más de Seilhamer para el Senado por el Distrito de Ponce. 20 March 2011. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  10. Larry Seilhamer no retará a Mayita en Ponce on El Nuevo Día (August 16, 2011)
  11. Larry Seilhamer presenta su renuncia al Senado: Será efectiva el 15 de enero. 13 El Vocero. January 2020. Accessed 21 February 2020.
  12. Letter of Resignation dated 13 January 2020. (In Spanish) Accessed 21 February 2020.
  13. Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez: Senador por Distrito V (Ponce). Senado de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  14. Debora Seilhamer profile Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine on USC Trojans Official website
Senate of Puerto Rico
Preceded by
Roberto Arango		 Majority Leader of the Puerto Rico Senate
2011–2013		 Succeeded by
Aníbal José Torres
Preceded by
José Luis Dalmau		 President pro tempore of the Puerto Rico Senate
2017–2020		 Succeeded by
Henry Neumann
Political offices
Preceded by
Raúl Márquez Hernández		 Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
2021–present		 Incumbent
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