Jose Feliciano was born in the hills of Puerto Rico in the small town of Yauco. His dad, who served in the United States military for seven years, moved to Cleveland in 1952 when it was the sixth largest city in America, having nearly a million people. Securing work, he sent for his family from Puerto Rico and Jose arrived at age 2. Jose grew up on the near West Side of Cleveland in what now is known as Ohio City. He lived across the street from St. Patrick’s School and Church, an historically Irish Catholic Parish. He did not speak English until he was six years old so at the Cleveland public school he started, he found out later, he was identified as Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR).
When he transferred to St. Patrick’s school after several months he, with the help of the Ursuline nuns, learned English rather quickly in several months. He also learned Latin as an altar boy. He says his neighborhood was a fairly typical blue-collar neighborhood made up mainly of Irish, Italians, Polish and other Eastern Europeans. His family was the first Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood which was closely knit and watched out for each other. He still recalls the first time he was called a “spic” and it still stings. But he says the opportunities, friendships, and love of the neighborhood people far outweighed the few bad incidents. He says that his upbringing made him Tri-Cultural: American, Puerto Rican and Irish Catholic. He went to Cathedral Latin high school and played basketball and baseball. This was before Roberto Clemente became a famous superstar and favorite of the Puerto Rican community. He still remembers where he was when Clemente died in the plane crash on his mission to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake there in 1972.
He wanted to be a social worker and received his B.A. from John Carroll University. At JCU he discovered the Spanish American Committee which planted the seed to work in and help the community. He earned a J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and later an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University. He told how the State of Ohio let people do jury trials even before they were attorneys! He started at Legal Aid under his boss Joe Meissner and became a trial attorney. He loved doing jury work and says his position as Public Defender was his best job ever. He had never met Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich but after some introductions and interviews he, at age 29, became the city’s Chief Prosecuting Attorney under Voinovich. He made history by serving as the first Hispanic public official in the history of the City of Cleveland by serving as the city’s chief prosecuting attorney.
He was selected as a White House Fellow under President Ronald Reagan out of thousands of candidates. That’s where he first met his longtime friend Rita Moreno and VP George H.W. Bush, General Colin Powell and the rest of Reagan’s cabinet. He tells stories of his work overseas on the Caribbean Basin Initiative and trips to the USSR, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. When he was attending a performance in President Reagan’s box at the Kennedy Center he though how great God was to him and how great America was to him. He had many opportunities but chose to work at the law firm of Baker Hostettler mainly because they offered the freedom to continue and grow his community projects. He tells stories about the firm’s founder Newton Baker and FDR, Joseph Kennedy and others. He was selected for the American College of Trial Lawyers and chosen to be President of the Cleveland Bar Association where he implemented community-focused changes.
Among his many recognitions, the U.S. Jaycees selected Mr. Feliciano as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America in 1984, an award received by, among others, John and Robert Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, and Elvis Presley. He is a recipient of the John Carroll University’s Alumni Association Alumni Metal and in 2012 was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. In 2023 he was awarded the Cleveland Heritage Medal which is bestowed upon “individuals whose significant contributions through leadership, collaboration and service have left an indelible mark on all spheres of the Cleveland community”. One of his greatest achievements is the founding, with Adrian Maldonado and Judge José Villanueva, of the Hispanic Roundtable (HRT). The HRT is a nonprofit civic leadership organization whose purpose is to develop a vibrant, independent, and self-reliant Hispanic community, one which is making a significant contribution not only to the advancement of the Hispanic community but also to the betterment of the entire community. He speaks of the 3 “E’s” – Empowerment, Education, and Economic development.
Every three years, HRT hosts a community convention, Convención Hispana, which includes every Hispanic organization in the Greater Cleveland area. The entire Hispanic community is invited to suggest and identify issues and resolutions related thereto are passed. Speakers have included Rita Moreno, Former HUD leaders Julian Castro and Henry Cisneros, the singer Jose Feliciano and others. He tells funny stories of sharing the name with Jose Feliciano, the blind singer of the Christmas classic Feliz Navidad, and now his son, Jose Jr. He speaks about Judge Jose Villanueva, Sister Alicia Alvarado, Mayor Ralph Perk, Irene Morrow and his friend Terry Cleveland with whom he started the May Dugan Center in Cleveland. He talks about the contributions and need for immigrants and how Hispanics, with their work ethic, faith and family values are needed for political power, economic contributions and the richness of their culture.
No wonder they call him El Jefe, the Boss. Watch.
