Pres. Sergio Osmeña, Sr. (1878 – 1961)

Fourth President of the Philippine Republic. Second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Founder of the Nacionalista Party. Patriarch of the prominent Osmeña family.

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Name: Sergio Suico Osmeña, Sr.

Birth:

Date: 9 September 1878
Place: Cebu City

Death:

Date: 1961
Age: 83
Place: Veteran’s Memorial Hospital, Quezon City
Cause: Natural Causes related to old age

Family:

Father: Owing to the circumstances of his birth, the identity of his father had been a closely guarded family secret.
Mother: Juana Osmeña y Juico
Spouse/s:
- 1st: Estefania Chiong Veloso
- 2nd: Esperenza Limjap
Children:
- From 1st Spouse: 5
- From 2nd Spouse: 3

Education:

San Carlos Seminary
Bachelor of Arts – Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1894)
Bachelor of Laws – University of Santo Tomas (1903)

Timeline and Highlights:

Classmate and best friend of Manuel Quezon in Letran and UST
Launched and Edited the newspaper El Nuevo Dia together with Jaime de Veyra and Rafael Palma in 1900
Allowed by the Supreme Court to take the Bar Examination even though he only completed 3 years in Law School
- Placed 2nd among the Bar Topnotchers
Appointed temporary governor of Cebu in 1903
- appointed by the American Governor-General as reliever of Juan Climaco
Provincial Fiscal of Cebu
Governor of Cebu in 1904
Representative of hte 2nd District of Cebu in the First Philippine Assembly in 1907
- Organized and became the first president of the Nacionalista Party
- Speaker of the House – a post he held fo 15 years
Elected Senator in 1922
- Led the mission to the US together with Manuel Roxas as a preparation for Philippine Independence
- Instrumental in getting the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law passed by the US Congress. It is the Law that provides for Philippine Independence within 10 years
Elected Vice President of the Philippine Commonwealth 0n November 15, 1935
Elected as Vice President for a 2nd term in 1941
- Went to the US with Pres. Quezon to establish the Commonwealth government on Exile during the Japanese occupation.
- Stood as officer in charge in several occasions when Pres. Quezon health started to fail.
Assumed the presidency of the Commonwealth of the Philippines when Pres. Quezon died in 1944 while on exile in the US
- Returned to the Philippines with Gen. douglas MacArthur on October 20, 1944; Helped in the liberation effort from the Japanese occupation
- Led in rebuilding the country from the ravages of World War II
- Retired from public office in Cebu after the 3rd Philippine Republic has been established.