 Ferré's grandfather Maurice Ferré Perotín was a French engineer who was involved in the construction of the Panama Canal before settling in Cuba.Ferre's father, Antonio Ferré Bagayado or "Bacallao", was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up there.As a young man he immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he founded the company Puerto Rico Iron Works, in Barrio Playa de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico.