Vicente J. Francisco y Santos (July 19, 1891 – July 19, 1974[1]) was a Filipino jurist and politician. Francisco was known as one of the best Filipino lawyers of his time. He was one of the members of the 1934 Constitutional Convention and served as a member of the Senate of the Philippines from 1946 to 1949.

Vicente J. Francisco
Francisco as a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention, published by Benipayo Press (c. 1935)
Senator of the Philippines
In office
May 25, 1946 – December 30, 1951
Majority Floor Leader of the Senate of the Philippines
In office
May 25, 1946 – February 21, 1949
Preceded byMelecio Arranz
Succeeded byTomas Cabili
Personal details
Born(1891-07-19)July 19, 1891
Cavite Puerto, Cavite, Captaincy General of the Philippines
DiedJuly 19, 1974(1974-07-19) (aged 83)
Political partyLiberal (1946–1974)

Biography

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Francisco was born on July 19, 1891 to Bibiano Francisco and Josefa Santos in Cavite, Cavite.[2][3] He studied at Escuela de Derecho de Manila where he obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 1914. He then went to New York, United States and enrolled at Columbia University to study mercantile law. As a lawyer, he worked as the dean of the college of law at the University of Manila and was president of the Lawyer's League of the Philippines.[3]

He was elected as a delegate from Cavite in the 1934 Philippine Constitutional Convention election.[3] Aside from politics, Francisco also owned and became president of the East Publishing Company, Inc.[2] He was a known prolific writer and have his own law books published.[3]

In 1946, Francisco was elected to the Senate of the Philippines[4] as a candidate of the Liberal Party, winning the largest number of votes. After his election, he was elected Majority Leader by his colleagues. In the Senate, he was responsible for many bills, including Act 52, which re-established the Court of Appeals. In the 1949 elections, Francisco ran for Vice President of the Philippines as Senate President Jose Avelino's running mate but lost to Fernando Lopez with 1.73% of the vote.

Francisco died in 1974 on his 83rd birthday. He was married to Maria Jalbuena. Their son Ricardo Francisco served as a justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 1995 to 1998.[5]

References

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  1. ^ G.R. No. L-37423, Supreme Court of the Philippines ruling (30 April 1976)
  2. ^ a b "Senators Profile - Vicente Francisco". web.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  3. ^ a b c d Our Delegates to the Constitutional Assembly: English-Spanish (in Spanish). Benipayo Press. 1935.
  4. ^ "List of Previous Senators". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  5. ^ Justice Francisco, 73, The Philippine Star (15 December 2001)