[2] An experienced politician, Hernández held the record for having been the youngest Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to date, having won his first term at the age of 36.

[citation needed] During his terms as governor, Hernández Colón's administrations were known for trying to invigorate the Puerto Rican economy as well as for defending the political status quo of the island.

In 1959, he obtained his degree in law from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, graduating magna cum laude and as valedictorian of his class.

The Committee rendered a report and proposal for a Compact of Permanent Union Between Puerto Rico and the United States that expanded Puerto Rico's autonomy over local affairs, expanded its right to participate in international matters, created a mechanism to object to the automatic application of federal laws, and allowed for the election of a delegate to the U.S.

[4] President Gerald Ford, who replaced Nixon, did not react to the report until after the 1976 elections, when he proposed statehood for the island.

According to Hernández Colón, his delayed response was due to political pressure by island Republicans, who supported Ford in his primary against Ronald Reagan.

Hernández Colón, Treasury Secretary Salvador Casellas, and Resident Commissioner Jaime Benítez successfully lobbied Congress for Section 936, which created a tax incentive for U.S. corporations that established in Puerto Rico.

[6] Hernández Colón lost the 1976 race for Governor to then Mayor of San Juan, Carlos Romero Barceló, by 3%.

He won re-election in the 1988 election, besting his main rival Baltasar Corrada del Río by 49 to 46%.

While many applauded the governor's decision, on the other hand, supporters of the Commonwealth and the parties in favor of the American federal state interpreted this law as a threat to their ideologies.

[10] In 1993, his successor Pedro Rosselló rescinded the law and reinstated English as the official language, alongside Spanish.

He lost popularity with the controversial Pabellón de Sevilla that was an attempt of a representation of Puerto Rico at the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992.

Among his works are Procedimiento Civil: Trayectoria Histórica de la Autonomía Política Puertorriqueña and Nueva Tesis [a] which discusses the Puerto Rican Commonwealth's political relationship with the United States.

In 1985, Hernández Colón was awarded the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella by the government of the Dominican Republic.

On October 18, 1991, at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo, Spain, Hernández Colón received the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature that was granted to the people of Puerto Rico by Felipe de Borbón.