Resident Commissioner of the Philippines

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Resident Commissioner of the Philippines
Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
Inaugural holder Benito Legarda y Tuason, Pablo Ocampo
Final holder Carlos P. Romulo
Abolished 1947

The Resident Commissioner of the Philippines was a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives sent by the Philippines from 1907 until its internationally recognized independence in 1946. It was similar to current non-voting members of Congress such as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico and delegates from Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and other United States territories.

Like current non-voting members, Resident Commissioners could speak and otherwise participate in the business of the House, but did not have full voting rights. Two were sent until 1937 when after the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the number was changed to one.[1]

The Philippines was a United States territory from 13 August 1898 until Philippine independence was internationally recognized on 4 July 1946.

The office was first created by the Philippine Organic Act (1902) section 8 and re-authorized on its subsequent replacements -- the Jones Law of 1916 (know as the Philippine Autonomy Act) section 20, and the Tydings–McDuffie Act of1934 (known as the Philippine Independence Act) section 7(5).

The procedures for appointment of the Resident Commissioners were ambiguous and a source of friction.[2] They were appointed by the Philippine Commission with agreement of the Philippine Assembly.

List of Resident Commissioners [edit]

Benito Legardo, Resident Commissioner, taken in 1908.
Philippine Commissioner J.M. Elizalde with future Philippine president Sergio Osmena and John W. Hausermann, (a Republican Party leader and goldmine owner in the Philippines), in 1938 or 1939, Library of Congress
Resident commissioner Carlos Romulo and future President of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Secretary, in 1946.
Territorial era
Congress Resident Commissioner 1 Resident Commissioner 2
60th (1907–1909) Benito Legarda y Tuason Pablo Ocampo
61st (1909–1911)
Manuel L. Quezon
62nd (1911–1913)
63rd (1913–1915) Manuel Earnshaw
64th (1915–1917)
65th (1917–1919) Jaime C. de Veyra Teodoro R. Yangco
66th (1919–1921)
Isauro Gabaldon
67th (1921–1923)
68th (1923–1925) Pedro Guevara
69th (1925–1927)
70th (1927–1929)
71st (1929–1931) Camilo Osías
72nd (1931–1933)
73rd (1933–1935)
74th (1935–1937) Francisco A. Delgado
Commonwealth era
Congress Resident Commissioner
74th (1935–1937) Quintin Paredes
75th (1937–1939)
Joaquín Miguel Elizalde
76th (1939–1941)
77th (1941–1943)
78th (1943–1945)
Carlos Peña Romulo
79th (1945–1947)

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Dorothy B. Fujita-Rony (2003). American Workers, Colonial Power. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23095-7. 
  2. ^ Kramer, Paul Alexander (2006). The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, & the Philippines. University of North Carolina Press. p. 325. ISBN 9780807856536.