José Francisco de Isla was a Spanish Jesuit, celebrated as a preacher and a humorist and satirist in the style of Miguel de Cervantes.

José Gerson da Cunha was a Goan physician who achieved international renown as an indologist, historian, linguist and numismatist.

José Gil Fortoul was a Venezuelan writer, historian, and politician, who was briefly the acting president of Venezuela. As a political scientist and legal scholar, he is closely identified with the movement of Venezuelan positivism. He was an ally of the dictator Juan Vicente Gómez, supporting his regime both politically and in his social and historical writing. In 1913 Fortoul was appointed provisional President of Venezuela, serving for less than a year.

José Hernández was an Argentine journalist, poet, and politician best known as the author of the epic poem Martín Fierro.

José Iglesias de la Casa was a Spanish priest and poet. De la Casa pursued his studies at the University of Salamanca and in 1784 took holy orders in Madrid, Spain.

José Itzigsohn is a Professor of sociology at Brown University. He is the author of two books and has written numerous journal articles.

José Joaquín de Olmedo y Maruri was President of Ecuador from 6 March 1845 to 8 December 1845. A patriot and poet, he was the son of the Spanish Captain Don Miguel de Olmedo y Troyano and the Guayaquilean Ana Francisca de Maruri y Salavarría.

José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, Mexican writer and political journalist, best known as the author of El Periquillo Sarniento (1816), translated as The Mangy Parrot in English, reputed to be the first novel written in Latin America.

José Joaquín Palma Lasso was a Cuban writer who was the author of the Guatemalan national anthem's lyrics.

José Juan de Aguilar Acuña Tablada was a Mexican poet, art critic and, for a brief period, diplomat. A pioneer of oriental studies, and champion of Mexican art, he spent a good portion of his life living abroad. As a poet, his work spans from the fin-de-siècle style to avant-garde experimentalism. He was an influential early writer of Spanish-language haiku.