Radcliffe College Archival Documents
Dr. Laura Meneses del Carpio

Laura, Pedro and their three children.

Laura with Pedro (left) and Rosa Emilia (right).

Laura (circa 1920)

All archival documents are used courtesy of Schlesinger Library. All document images are provided courtesy of Dr. Daniel Ibarrondo Cruz.

Radcliffe College Alumna

  • Activist Leader and Author

    In addition to keeping alive the work of Pedro Albizu Campos, Laura was an author. She is the author of El Feminismo, La Tierra de los Felices, Serenidad, and Alfonso Reyes y Rómulo Gallegos.

  • Family

    Known as Laura Meneses del Carpio de Albizu Campos, her children, and Juan Juarbe called her “Yoya.” Laura and Pedro married in 1922 and had three children: Pedro, Rosa Emilia, and Laura Esperanza.

  • First Latin American at Radcliffe

    Laura was the first Latin American woman to study at Radcliffe College. Attending a talk by the Hindu poet Rabindranath Tagore, as she entered, Pedro held the door for her. She thought he was Hindu. Later they formally met at the home of Maria Llosa, wife of Dunker Lavalle, and the rest is history.

  • Radcliffe Studies

    Laura Meneses took graduate level botany courses at Radcliffe in 1920-21 and 1921-22. She held degrees from San Marcos University, Lima, Peru. (A.B. 1914, Ph.D. 1918). There is a myth that she discontinued her doctoral studies to be with Albizu. She was already Dr. Laura Meneses del Carpio when she married Albizu.

The 1934 Alumnae Directory Form and these five newspaper clippings are all of the documents in the Radcliffe Alumnae files for Laura Meneses del Carpio, wife of Pedro Albizu Campos.

El Formulario del Directorio de Alumnas de 1934 y estos cinco recortes de periódicos son todos los documentos en los archivos de Alumnas de Radcliffe para Laura Meneses del Carpio, esposa de Pedro Albizu Campos.

Laura Meneses Radcliffe Alumnae Newspaper Clipping 1

En el formulario de información de exalumnas de Radcliffe fechado el 17 de octubre de 1933, Laura Meneses informa que reside en San Juan, Puerto Rico y se casó con Pedro Albizu Campos el 8 de julio de 1922. Tienen tres hijos. Tiene una Licenciatura en Farmacia, una Licenciatura en Ciencias y un Doctorado en Ciencias. Es autora de "La Tierra de los Felices" y "Serenidad". Estudió en Radcliffe durante dos años.

Laura Meneses Radcliffe Alumnae Newspaper Clipping 2
Laura Meneses Radcliffe Alumnae Newspaper Clipping 4

In the Radcliffe Alumnae Information form dated October 17, 1933, Laura Meneses informs that she resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico and she married Pedro Albizu Campos on July 8, 1922. They have three children. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy, a Bachelor of Science, and a Doctor of Science degrees. She is the author of “La Tierra de los Felices” and “Serenaded.” She studied at Radcliffe for two years.

Laura Meneses Radcliffe Alumnae Newspaper Clipping 3
Laura Meneses Radcliffe Alumnae Newspaper Clipping 5