Francisco Afan Delgado

Francisco Afan Delgado (January 25, 1886 – October 27, 1964) was a Filipino diplomat who served as a Resident Commissioner from the Philippine Islands from 1935 to 1936.

Francisco Afan Delgado
Senator of the Philippines
In office
December 30, 1951 – December 30, 1957
Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands
In office
January 3, 1935 – February 14, 1936
Serving with Pedro Guevara
Preceded byCamilo Osías
Succeeded byQuintin Paredes
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Bulacan's First District
In office
June 2, 1931 – September 16, 1935
Preceded byAngel Suntay
Succeeded byNicolas Buendia
Personal details
Born
Francisco Delgado y Afan

(1886-01-25)January 25, 1886
Bulacan, Captaincy General of the Philippines
DiedOctober 27, 1964(1964-10-27) (aged 78)
Manila, Philippines
Political partyNacionalista

Early life edit

He was born in Bulacan Province, in then Captaincy General of the Philippines on January 25, 1886 to a Spanish-Filipino mestizo family. His parents were Nemesio Delgado and Manuela Afan. He was the cousins of Jose Maria Delgado and his son Antonio C. Delgado, Philippine Ambassadors to The Vatican, and a descendant of General Martin Delgado.

Education edit

He studied at San Juan de Letran, Ateneo de Manila, Colegio Filipino, Los Angeles (California) High School, and Compton (California) Union High School; Indiana University at Bloomington, LL.B., 1907 and Yale Law School, LL.M., 1909; was admitted to the bar in 1908 and commenced practice in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Political career edit

Delgado returned to the Philippine Islands in 1908 and joined the Philippine Government as a law clerk. Later, he became the chief of the law division of the executive bureau, serving until 1913 when he resumed private law practice. In 1918, Delgado served in the Philippine National Guard and became a member of the National Council of Defense for the Philippines. From 1931 to 1935, he served in the Philippine House of Representatives for Bulacan's 1st district as a Nationalist.

He was elected as a Resident Commissioner to the United States and served from January 3, 1935, until February 14, 1936, when a successor qualified under the new government of the Commonwealth of the Philippine Islands. Delgado was appointed as a justice of the court of appeals in February 1936, serving until 1937. He then resumed his law practice and became a delegate to the International Committee of Jurists in Washington, D.C., and to the United Nations Conference in San Francisco, California in April 1945.

Delgado was a member of the Philippine War Damage Commission from June 4, 1946 to March 31, 1951. Subsequently, he served as a Senator from 1951 to 1957. Finally, Delgado held the position of Ambassador to the United Nations from September 29, 1958 to January 1, 1962.

Achievements edit

In court, Delgado was unmatched in upholding the ideals and noble precepts of his profession. He strongly denounced lawyers who worked for money sake and the many foul tactics employed by government prosecutors. Philippine Ambassador Francisco A. Delgado Wednesday jointed the exclusive "club" of victims of Soviet Premier Krushchev's table-pounding outbursts (United Nations, Oct. 6). Krushchev pounded the bench with his fists several times in response to Delgados fiery speech "denouncing the evils of Western colonial imperialism in season and out of season, the Communists are merely playing the cunning game of wolf in sheeps clothing." Ambassador Delgado was quoted in saying after his speech: "I think Krushchev's table pounding was the best endorsement of the truth of my speech."

Ambassador Delgado was also an active member of the Freemasons, being a Shriner and The Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry between 1926 and 1927 and founder of the Masonic Hospital for Children in Manila. He was the first Filipino made an active member of the American Bar Association in 1919 and organizer/director of the International Bar association.

Death edit

Upon his retirement, he resided in the province of Bulacan, north of Manila; died in Manila, October 27, 1964.

See also edit

External links edit

  • United States Congress. "Francisco Afan Delgado (id: D000218)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Resident Commissioner from the Philippines to the United States Congress
1935–1936
Served alongside: Pedro Guevara
Succeeded by
House of Representatives of the Philippines
Preceded by
Ángelo Suntay
Member of the House of Representatives
from Bulacan's 1st district

1931–1935
Succeeded by