Claro M. Recto
Claro Mayo Recto Jr. (born Claro Recto y Mayo; February 8, 1890 – October 2, 1960) was a Filipino politician, statesman, lawyer, jurist, author, writer, columnist, and poet. Perhaps best known as the president of the 1934 Constitutional Convention and the Father of the 1935 Philippine Constitution, he is remembered as a fierce opponent of U.S. "neocolonialism" in Asia and for his staunch nationalist leadership throughout his career.
The Honorable Claro M. Recto | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines | |
| In office July 3, 1935 – November 1, 1936 | |
| Appointed by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Moran |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office July 16, 1934 – November 15, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | Benigno Aquino Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (Next held by Melecio Arranz) |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office July 16, 1931 – June 5, 1934 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office April 3, 1952 – October 2, 1960 | |
| In office July 9, 1945 – May 25, 1946 | |
| In office June 2, 1931 – November 15, 1935 Serving with Manuel L. Quezon | |
| Preceded by | Jose P. Laurel |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Constituency | 5th senatorial district |
| Commissioner of Education, Health and Public Welfare (Philippine Executive Commission) | |
| In office 1942 – October 1943 | |
| Governor | Masaharu Homma Shizuichi Tanaka Shigenori Kuroda |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Camilo Osías |
| Member of the House of Representatives from Batangas' 3rd district | |
| In office June 3, 1919 – June 5, 1928 | |
| Preceded by | Benito Reyes Catigbac |
| Succeeded by | José Dimayuga |
| President of the 1934 Constitutional Convention | |
| In office July 30, 1934 – February 8, 1936 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Claro Recto y Mayo February 8, 1890 Tiaong, Tayabas, Captaincy General of the Philippines (now Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines) |
| Died | October 2, 1960 (aged 70) Rome, Italy |
| Political party | Nationalist Citizens' Party (1957–1960) |
| Other political affiliations | KALIBAPI (1942–1945) Nacionalista (1934–1935; 1941–1942; 1949–1957) Democrata (1917–1934) |
| Spouse(s) | Angeles Silos Aurora Reyes |
| Relations | Ralph Recto (grandson) |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | Ateneo de Manila (BA) University of Santo Tomas (LL.M) |
Serving as a representative of Batangas from 1919 to 1928 and as a senator in the Philippine Legislature from 1931 to 1935, he rose to prominence as the president of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the 1935 Constitution, of which he was the primary author. He was appointed as the Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of the Philippines by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, becoming the last Philippine Supreme Court member to be appointed by the United States.
Recto was elected as a senator in 1941 despite being detained on charges of collaboration with the Japanese. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, he became affiliated with the KALIBAPI party and served in Japanese-installed President Jose P. Laurel's wartime cabinet. He was arrested at the end of the war for treason, but successfully defended himself. He was again reelected in 1949 and 1955, during which he became an outspoken critic of President Ramon Magsaysay's policies, which he perceived to be "pro-American". Before finishing his final term, he mysteriously died of a heart attack on October 2, 1960 in Rome.
He also served as Commissioner of Education, Health and Public Welfare from 1942 to 1943, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1943 to 1944 and Cultural Envoy with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on cultural mission to Europe and Latin America in 1960. He is the grandfather of representative and former senator Ralph Recto.