Thomas Rivera Schatz

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rivera and the second or maternal family name is Schatz.

Thomas Rivera Schatz (born June 10, 1966) is a Puerto Rican politician, legal advisor, attorney, and former prosecutor, who was the fourteenth, sixteenth and is currently the eighteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (abbr. PNP in Spanish) and the USA's Republican Party. Historically, his tenure as President of the Senate has been shadowed by multiple scandals regarding ghost employees on the payroll of his office and the conviction for corruption of several of his closest colleagues and subordinates, namely Héctor Martínez, José Gómez Zaldo, Juan Carlos Acosta Ramírez, Alex Emille Martínez Morales, among others.

Thomas Rivera Schatz
President of the Puerto Rico Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2025
Preceded by	José Luis Dalmau
In office January 2, 2017 – January 2, 2021
Preceded by	Eduardo Bhatia
Succeeded by	José Luis Dalmau
In office January 2, 2009 – January 2, 2013
Preceded by	Kenneth McClintock
Succeeded by	Eduardo Bhatia
Minority Leader of the Puerto Rico Senate
In office January 2, 2021 – January 2, 2025
Preceded by	Eduardo Bhatia
Succeeded by	Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz
Chair of the New Progressive Party
Acting
In office July 22, 2019 – August 16, 2020
Preceded by	Ricardo Rosselló
Succeeded by	Pedro Pierluisi
Member of the Puerto Rico Senate from the at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2009
Personal details
Born	(1966-06-10) June 10, 1966 (age 59) Bronx, New York, U.S.
Political party	New Progressive
Other political affiliations	Republican
Relatives	José Rivera Díaz (father)
Education	Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law (JD)

Early life and studies

Rivera Schatz was born on June 10, 1966, in the Bronx Borough of New York City. He is the son of José A. "Nía" Rivera, a past mayor of Trujillo Alto, and Christina Schatz, a German woman.^[1] While in college, he worked full-time at the City of San Juan Public Works Department. He attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law, where he graduated in 1992. A year later, he passed the bar exam required to practice law in Puerto Rico.^[2]

Rivera Schatz started his legal career as a legal advisor in the Senate and House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 1996, Governor Pedro Rosselló appointed him as a prosecutor at the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. After finishing his service as a prosecutor, he returned to private practice, handling both criminal and civil cases.

Political career

Electoral Commissioner and Secretary General: 2000–2007

In 2000, Rivera Schatz was named Electoral Commissioner for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP).

Two years later, party president Pedro Rosselló named Rivera Schatz as secretary general of the PNP in addition to his current position as electoral commissioner. He served both positions simultaneously until August 1, 2007, when he decided to run for senator.

Senator: 2008–present

Rivera Schatz ran for senator at the PNP primaries where he won a slot in the ballot, receiving the second-most votes. In the 2008 general elections, Rivera Schatz was elected senator. His fellow senators then elected him to be the 14th president of Puerto Rico's Senate. As such, he selected the following persons for his team:

• Senator Margarita Nolasco as Senate President Pro tempore
• Senator Larry Seilhamer as majority leader
• Senator Melinda Romero as Majority Whip
• Roberto "Junior" Maldonado as chief administrative officer of the Senate.
• Senate Secretary Manuel A. Torres was nominated by Rivera Schatz and reelected to a second term, becoming the first Senate secretary to serve under two different Senate Presidents
• Incumbent Superintendent of the Capitol, Eliezer Velázquez, was nominated by Rivera Schatz and ratified by House Speaker Jenniffer González for a second term, a first for a superintendent.

Rivera Schatz was sworn into his post on January 12, 2009.

Thomas Rivera Schatz was reelected in 2012 and elected for the third time as a member of the Senate majority in the 2016 election with 10.33% of the "at large" votes, placing him in second place after independent senatorial candidate Dr. José Vargas Vidot and followed by Juan Dalmau of the Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP).^[3] Rivera Schatz was elected to a second term as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico starting January 2017.^[4] He holds two records, first as the only reelected Senate President during the past 28 years and the only Senate President ever elected as such to non-consecutive terms. On November 5, 2024, he was elected President of the Senate for a third non-consecutive term.^[5]

PNP President

On July 22, 2019, Rivera Schatz announced he would succeed Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló as head of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP).^[6] Rosselló announced his intention to resign due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Telegramgate.^[7]

Personal life

Rivera Schatz and his father are avid collectors of antique cars.^[8][9]