[3][4] He studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico,[3][4] and after college moved back to St. Croix, where he took a position as a sixth-grade teacher at the Christiansted Public Grammar School.

[5] He also worked as a project office manager for the Department of Housing and Urban Development[3] before serving in the United States Army.

[5] Luis was elected to the 10th Legislature of the Virgin Islands, the territory's unicameral legislative body, in 1972, when he was 32 years old.

In 1974, gubernatorial candidate Cyril King, who had founded the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM) in the 1960s, persuaded Luis to join his ticket as his running mate for lieutenant governor.

[1] As lieutenant governor, Luis was sworn into office ten minutes after King's death to fill the remainder of his term.

[8] They defeated the Democratic ticket of Ron de Lugo, the-then Delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Senator Eric E. Dawson, in a tough election campaign.

[10] However, the election was challenged in court by fourteen Virgin Islands residents, who argued that blank and spoiled ballots should be counted.

[10] By law, a gubernatorial candidate in the U.S. Virgin Islands must garner more than 50% of vote to avoid a runoff;[10] Luis would have fallen just short of 50% if blank and spoiled ballots were counted.

[10] A lower court in the Virgin Islands agreed with those arguing for a runoff and ordered the blank and spoiled ballots to be counted, which brought Luis below 50%.

[4] He is credited by many with the overhaul and creation of the U.S. Virgin Islands' present health care system during his time in office.

[3] Luis successfully lobbied for federal funding that was used to construct most of the U.S. Virgin Islands' modern hospitals, including the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center on St. Croix, the Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John and the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St.

[4] They included former Senator Holland Redfield, whom he appointed to the Public Services Commission and encouraged to run for the Legislature in 1984, and Governor John de Jongh Jr., whom Luis nominated to the V.I.