Claro M. Recto

Claro Mayo Recto ( born February 8, 1890 in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, † October 2, 1960 in Rome) was a Filipino lawyer, author and politician.

Biography

After attending primary school in Tiaong and high school in Lipa City, he studied at the Ateneo de Manila University and graduated in 1909 with a Bachelor of Arts ( AB) maxima cum laude. He then completed a postgraduate course in law at the University of Santo Tomas and acquired there in 1914 a Master of Laws ( LL.M.). After his subsequent admission he began in 1914 to work as a lawyer.

His political career began in 1919 as Recto he was first elected to the House of Representatives and represented in this the third electoral district of the province of Batangas. Later he was for some years leader of the minority fraction ( Minority Floor Leader) in the House of Representatives.

In 1931, he was first elected to the Senate and represented there until 1935, the then fifth senatorial district, which included the provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Tayabas, Cavite and Marinduque. Initially he was in the Senate from 1931 to 1934 Minority Leader before he then from 1934 to 1935 leader of the faction of the majority in the Senate was ( Majority Floor Leader). During this time he was also President of the Commission to draft the constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and put the draft constitution for final review and signature of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt before. It is therefore considered as " Father of the Philippine Constitution".

After retiring from the Senate, he was in 1935 by President Roosevelt to the assessors judge (Associate Justice), appointed to the Supreme Court, the Philippine Supreme Court and gained particular renown in the debates with the then U.S. Attorney General Homer S. Cummings status the military bases of the U.S. Army in the Philippines. The Office of the Associate Justice he held until 1936.

In November 1941 he was again elected a member of the Senate and this committee was de facto from 1942 to 1946 on, the Senate met only once in June 1945. At this meeting, however, took only 16 of the 24 senators were present, as the remaining members of the Senate were imprisoned for collaborating with the Japanese occupation.

In addition, Recto was initially 1942-1943 Commissioner for education, health and public welfare before he was from 1943 to 1944 Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the government of President Manuel Quezon.

In 1949 he was re-elected to the Senate and re-elected as such in November 1955. In 1957 he ran for the office of President, but was defeated Carlos P. Garcia.

He was most recently in 1960 with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy culture representative of the Philippines on a mission in Latin America and Europe, and died during this trip in Rome.

In addition to his extensive political career, he was also the author of books about politics and law of contract.

After he was named barangays in the towns of Maigo Catubig and Claro M. Recto Avenue and in Tondo.