Puerto Rican politician
Francisco José de Mercado (ca. 1762 – ca. 1842) was interim mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from early in 1822 to 31 December 1822.
Background.
Mercado was the son of Joseph de Mercado, who was "Alcalde de la Santa Hermandad" in 1757 (San German) and "teniente a guerra" (Ponce) in 1763.
Mayoral term.
While acting as the maximum civil authority in Ponce during 1822, Mercado was interim mayor. As such, he was finishing off José Molina's term as a constitutional mayor. Mercado took over leadership of the town from Jose Ortiz de la Renta and, at the end of his term, handed over leadership to Jose Ortiz de la Renta again. There are no Acts in the Municipality of Ponce for the period 1824 to 1834, affecting the period while he was mayor as well.