Jessie Lichauco ( Coe; January 10, 1912 – November 1, 2021) was a Cuban-born Filipino philanthropist and charity worker who resided in the Philippines from the 1930s with her husband, lawyer and diplomat

Marcial Lichauco Marcial Primitivo Fernandez Lichauco (November 27, 1902 – March 4, 1971) was a Filipino lawyer and diplomat. Career Lichauco was born to Faustino Lichauco (1870–1930), a member of Emilio Aguinaldo's Philippine Revolution, and Luisa Fern� ...

. They turned their home into a makeshift hospital during the Battle of Manila in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Jessie Coe was born in Isla de los Pinos, Cuba on January 10, 1912. Her father settled in Cuba after the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

where he met Jessie's mother. She was later sent to

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, where she was raised in a convent school after she lost her parents as a young girl. While working in Washington D.C., Coe met Marcial P. Lichauco, a Filipino lawyer who was working as a secretary for the

OsRox Mission The OsRox Mission (1931) was a campaign for self-government and United States recognition of the independence of the Philippines led by former Senate President Sergio Osmeña and House Speaker Manuel Roxas. The mission secured the Hare–Hawes– ...

, which was seeking Philippine independence from the United States. She came to the Philippines upon Lichauco's invitation in the 1930s at the age of 18, marrying him on December 29, 1933, at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

Chapel. She and her husband were the first couple to be wed in the newly constructed chapel. After their marriage, Lichuaco lived almost continually in the Philippines.

Social work

Lichauco joined the ''Asociación de Damas de Filipinas'' and devoted time to Settlement House, which was run by the Asociación. Together with her husband, she opened their temporary shelter in Santa Ana to war refugees, transforming it into a makeshift hospital during

. The facility served at least 2,000 people. After the war, she continued her devotion towards Settlement House and became its president for nine years. Lichauco was one of the founders of the Red Feather Agency, later known as Community Chest, which raises funds for member charities. She also supported about 100 youth in completing their education in her own capacity. From 1963 to 1966, her husband served as Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, appointed by then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 19 ...

. Jessie Lichuaco served as the Ambassador's hostess, representing the Philippines in international organizations and events. The Ambassador's residence in

Palace Green Palace Green is an area of grass in the centre of Durham, England, flanked by Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral and Castle together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although initially not part of the site itself, Palace Green ...

was open to Filipino businesspeople, students, workers, and tourists. After her husband's death in 1971, Lichuaco spent a few years in the United States. She opened her house in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to Filipino scholars and students needing a place to stay.

Later life and death

Lichauco was granted Philippine citizenship in 2013 through Republic Act No. 10356 which was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III. She was cited in the law for her social contributions to the country, adopting the Philippines as her home, speaking the

Filipino language Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spoke ...

, and embracing Filipino culture. She died on November 1, 2021, at the age of 109.

In popular media

Lichauco was the subject of the documentary film '' Curiosity, Adventure, & Love'', in which she portrayed herself. The film includes her migration to the Philippines, the meeting with her husband, Philippine history from her perspective, and her insights on the Filipino people during World War II.''Curiosity, Adventure & Love'' has received several awards: *Special Jury Prize, 2016 World Premieres Philippines Film Festival * Best Documentary, 2017 SOHO International Film Festival * Best Documentary Feature, 2017 NYLA (New York Los Angeles) International Film Festival * Best Documentary Feature, 2017 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival * Excellence Award for the categories of Human Spirit and Biography, Exceptional Merit for sub-categories of Viewer Impact: Motivational/inspirational and Editing, 2017 Docs Without Borders Film Festival.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichauco, Jessie 1912 births 2021 deaths People from Isla de la Juventud Filipino centenarians American centenarians Filipino philanthropists American philanthropists American emigrants to the Philippines Naturalized citizens of the Philippines Filipino people of American descent Filipino people of Cuban descent American people of Cuban descent Women centenarians Cuban emigrants to the United States