Jaime C. De Veyra

Jaime Carlos de Veyra y Díaz (November 4, 1873 – March 7, 1963) was a Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands from 1917 to 1923 and Governor of Leyte from 1906 to 1907.

Early life

He was born on November 4, 1873, in the town of Tanauan in Leyte province.

Education

De Veyra attended both public and private schools. In 1888, he began studying at Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila, and graduated in 1893 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1895, he began studying for a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He completed both degrees in 1898.

Political career

From 1888 to 1899, he served as secretary to the Military Governor of Leyte, General Ambrosio Moxica.

In 1901, he was elected municipal councilor in the town of Cebu, and became municipal vice-president the following year. In 1903, he became president of the electoral assembly of Cebu. In 1904, de Veyra became Director of Liceo de Maasim, in Leyte, and served until 1905.

In 1905, he became an editor for the Spanish- and Tagalog-language newspaper ''El Renacimiento''.

In 1906, de Veyra became Governor of Leyte. De Veyra, as governor, noted that hemp farmers experienced a business crisis starting in 1905 due to reduced credit and money shortages, resulting in the closure of Smith, Bell & Co. and Compaña Tabacalera by late August 1906, leaving four agencies open. Corruption were also a problem in the municipality, with three municipal treasurers prosecuted for embezzlement in 1906.

De Veyra's administration also faced challenges due to the resurgence of Pulahanes attacks beginning in June 1906. After subsequent attacks in July and burning of ''barrios'' within Leyte's municipalities, de Veyra labeled them as terrorists.

He served until 1907, when he became a member of the first Philippine Assembly as the first representative of Leyte's Fourth District in the Philippine House of Representatives. He served in the Assembly until 1913, when he became a member of the Philippine Commission 1913–1916.

In 1916, de Veyra was appointed executive secretary of the Philippine Islands under Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison, and served until 1917.

In 1917, de Veyra was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Resident Commissioner of the Philippines. He reelected in 1920 and served from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1923. He was declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1922.

He engaged in journalistic work during 1923, and he became head of the department of Spanish, University of the Philippines at Manila, serving in such capacity from 1925 to 1936. From 1937 to 1944, de Veyra was the director of the Institute of National Language. He also served as historical researcher in charge of manuscripts and publications, National Library, and historical researcher, Office of the President, during 1946.

Personal life

Jaime de Veyra married clubwoman and suffragette Sofia Reyes in 1907. They had four children, Their son Manuel E. de Veyra was a doctor during World War II serving at Bataan. Their son Jesus de Veyra became a judge, and dean of the Ateneo Law School from 1976 to 1981.

Sofia de Veyra died in 1953, aged 77 years old.Rosario Avila de Veyra
''Faith, Work, Success: An Appraisal of the Life and Work of Sofia Reyes de Veyra''
(University of San Carlos, 1959). Jaime de Veyra died in Manila, Philippines on March 7, 1963. He was buried at La Loma Cemetery in Caloocan.

Images

File:DeVEYRA, JAIME HONORABLE LCCN2016859761.jpg, De Veyra in the United States
File:US Welcome for 2nd Philippine delegation for Independence from the US 1921.tif, De Veyra welcoming the 2nd Philippine delegation. Left to right: De Veyra, Manuel L. Quezon, Frank McIntyre, Sergio Osmeña, and Isauro Gabaldón.

See also

* Commission on the Filipino Language
* List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
* Resident Commissioner of the Philippines

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Veyra, Jaime C. De
1873 births
1963 deaths
Chairpersons of the Commission on the Filipino Language
Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni
Filipino educators
20th-century Filipino historians
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Linguists from the Philippines
Governors of Leyte (province)
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Leyte (province)
Members of the United States Congress of Filipino descent
Members of the United States House of Representatives of Asian descent
People from Leyte (province)
Spanish-language writers of the Philippines
Resident commissioners of the Philippines
Quezon administration personnel
University of Santo Tomas alumni
Visayan people
Members of the Philippine Legislature
Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines)
People from the Spanish East Indies