Conrado Benitez (November 26, 1889 – January 4, 1971) is a Filipino statesman, writer, and educator. He founded the

Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, abbreviated as PRRM, is a non-governmental organization and institution formed in 1952 to assist peasants in the Philippines. As a movement, it was initiated by upper and middle class group of individual ...

and was one of the drafters of the

1935 Constitution of the Philippines Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart bec ...

. Flavier, Juan M., ''

Doctor to the Barrios ''Doctor to the Barrios'' is a 1970 book written by Juan M. Flavier, a physician in the Philippines, who later became Secretary of the Department of Health and two-term Senator of the Philippines. Its complete title is ''Doctor to the Barrios, E ...

'', page 6.

Early life and education

Benitez was born on November 26, 1889 in Pagsanjan, Laguna. He studied at the Philippine Normal School and graduated valedictorian. In 1911, he was sent to the United States as a government ''pensionado'' and enrolled at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

where he acquired his M.A, and his Ph.D. Back in the Philippines, he studied law at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

. He was a member of the

Upsilon Sigma Phi The Upsilon Sigma Phi () is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters — a single ch ...

fraternity.

Career

He taught history and economics at the

Philippine Normal College The Philippine Normal University (PNU; fil, Pamantasang Normal ng Pilipinas) is a public coeducational teacher education and research university in the Philippines. It was established in 1901 through Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission '' ...

. Later, he founded the College of Business Administration of the University of the Philippines, and became its first Dean. He was also one of the founding trustees of the

Philippine Women’s University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

, the first university for women in Asia. He was the first chairman and co-founder of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and trustee of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) - both of which were dedicated to people living in the rural areas. He also co-founded the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in the Philippines. In 1919, Benitez testified in front of the

United States Senate Committee on the Philippines The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to ...

to explain the state of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

in the Philippines. For a time, his 1926 textbook ''History of the Philippines'' was widely used in Philippine public schools.. In 1937, US President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

made him member of the Filipino-American joint committee charged with formulating economic plans in preparation for the country’s independence. In 1938, he was appointed assistant executive secretary to the President

Manuel Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...

Freemasonry

Benitez entered freemasonry in November 1914, where he was elected Junior Warden. In 1936, he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. His contemporaries include

Jose Abad Santos Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

, Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera,

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...

, Francisco A. Delgado, Frederic H. Stevens, Teodoro M. Kalaw, and

Manuel Camus Manuel R. Camus (October 16, 1875 - December 22, 1949) was a lawyer and a Philippine Senator. He completed his education in Singapore and returned to the Philippines in 1899 to serve as an interpreter and translator for the Provost Marshal General ...

. In 1961, Benitez was duly elected as the second Sovereign Grand Commander of the Philippine Supreme Council. Benitez was also an Honorary Member of one foreign Supreme Council and the Grand Representative of four others. Aside from these he was a Shriner and a member of Lodge Perla del Oriente No. 1054, Scottish Constitution.

Death

Benitez died on January 4, 1971.

Personal life

He married

Francisca Tirona-Benitez Francisca Tirona-Benitez (June 4, 1886 – November 17, 1974) was a Filipino educator, humanitarian, civic leader, and administrator. She is a co-founder of the Philippine Women's University. Biography Francisca Tirona was born in Imus, Cavite, o ...

on August 3, 1912. His daughter,

Helena Benitez Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez (June 27, 1914 – July 14, 2016) was a Filipina academic and administrator of the Philippine Women's University. Biography Benitez was born in Manila to Conrado Benitez, a ''pensionado'' to the United States and a me ...

, would eventually be elected to the

Senate of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives as ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benitez, Conrado Filipino educators 1889 births 1971 deaths People from Laguna (province) University of the Philippines alumni University of the Philippines College of Law alumni Filipino writers Freemasonry