Cynthia Torres

Cynthia Johnston Torres (27 July 1911 – 6 March 2001) was a Guamanian businesswoman, politician and educator. She served as a member of the Legislature of Guam from 1954 to 1956.

Biography[]

Torres was born in Hagåtña in July 1911, the daughter of Agueda Iglesias and William Johnston, both well-known teachers.^[1][2] She began attending a private school in Coronado in the United States in 1925.^[2] After leaving school, she married businessman Joseph Torres in 1932, with whom she had a daughter Elaine.^[2] When Joseph died in 1946, she took over the his soft drink and beer company, which she diversified into other areas ranging from ice cream to ceramics.^[2]

In the 1954 elections for the Guamanian Legislature she ran on an independent ticket alongside Lagrimas Untalan and . Their campaign meetings saw female attendees pelted with eggs and accused of prostitution. However, all three were elected, with Untalan finishing seventh and Torres fifteenth.^[3] After being elected, she became a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.^[2]

Torres moved to California in 1958 after selling her businesses. She enrolled at San Diego State University and gained a bachelor's degree in education from the University of California, San Diego. She subsequently earned a master's degree in special education, before returning to Guam in 1962. She joined the local school for the disabled as a consultant, later becoming its headteacher. She subsequently helped establish the New Brodie Memorial School for Handicapped Children and became a member of the Board of Trustees of Guam Memorial Hospital. She died on 6 March 2001.^[1][2]

References[]