Juan Bautista Alegre y Levantino (February 2, 1882 – June 14, 1931) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

, a delegate of the first '' Philippine Independence Mission'' of 1919 to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, Secretary of the National Committee of the ''Philippine Independence Commission'' of 1922, a member of the first ''Philippine Independence Congress'' of 1930, and

Senator 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 ...

Biography

Juan B. Alegre was born on February 2, 1882, in Casiguran in the province of

Sorsogon Sorsogon, officially the Province of Sorsogon (Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Sorsogon''; Waray language, Waray: ''Probinsya han Sorsogon''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sorsogon), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines locat ...

in the

Bicol Peninsula Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...

. In 1926, he later moved residence to what is now known as Barangay San Juan in

Irosin Irosin, officially the Municipality of Irosin ( Waray Sorsogon: ''Bungto san Irosin''; war, Bungto han Irosin, tl, Bayan ng Irosin), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a pop ...

. Alegre was an abaca plantation owner and reportedly one of the wealthiest citizens of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

of his time. He was the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands from 1920 to 1921, and one of the financiers of the ''Philippines Herald'' newspaper. Juan B. Alegre was married to Amanda Sargent and survived by four of his children. After completing his training in the

, Juan B. Alegre attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

from 1903 to 1905 but had to leave his 3Ls in

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

, abetted by business concerns from the death of his father, Narciso Alegre Pellicer. In 1922, he was 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 ...

for the Sixth Senatorial District on behalf of the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ce ...

. Three years later, Alegre was re-elected to the

7th Philippine Legislature The Seventh Philippine Legislature was the meeting of the legislature of the Philippines under the sovereign control of the United States from 1925 to 1928. Members Senate Notes House of Representatives Notes See also *Congress of t ...

. However, after being defeated for a third term in the 1928 Senate elections by another member of the Nacionalista Party, he joined the

Democrata Party The Democrata Party, also known as ''Partido Democrata Nacional'' () was a political party in early 20th century Philippines, when the Philippines was an insular territory of the United States. It functioned as an opposition party against the ruli ...

. On behalf of the ''Demócratas'', he succeeded afterwards in being re-elected again to the Senate. But before Alegre could take his place in the

9th Philippine Legislature The Ninth Philippine Legislature was the meeting of the legislature of the Philippines under the sovereign control of the United States from 1931 to 1934. Members Senate Notes House of Representatives Notes See also *Congress of the ...

, however, he died in his home in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

after being sworn to office at the age of 49, on June 14, 1931 from complications of

gastric ulcer Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines i ...

. His vacancy was filled by Jose O. Vera by special elections. The late Senator Alegre is remembered by the thoroughfare named in his honor, fronting th
Sorsogon Provincial Capitol and Park.
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Images

Image:Alegre family emblem.jpg, Historical emblem of the Alegre family o
Villarroya de los Pinares
Image:Narciso Alegre y Pellicer.png, Narciso Alegre Pellicer, father of Juan Bautista Alegre y Levantino Image:Kapitolyo ng Sorsogon.jp
The Sorsogon Provincial Capitol and Park, bounded by Juan Alegre Street
Image:Saint Gregory the Great Cathedral.jp
Saint Gregory the Great Cathedral, Old Albay District, Legaspi City, Albay, bounded by JB Alegre Street (Bicol 640)
Image:Manuel Quezon Aurora Aragon wedding photo.jpg, Wedding party of Manuel Luis Quezon and Aurora Aragon after the marriage was solemnized in

Hongkong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

on December 14, 1918.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alegre, Juan B. 1882 births 1931 deaths Bicolano people Bicolano politicians Burials at La Loma Cemetery Nacionalista Party politicians People from Sorsogon Senators of the 6th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 7th Philippine Legislature Senators of the 9th Philippine Legislature Senators from Sorsogon The Philippines Herald Elected officials who died without taking their seats