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 Fernández y Arcinas (1873–1959).
He studied at the
American-established Central School 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 ...
, where he graduated as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
. Lichauco then received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1923 as the first Filipino graduate of
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
. He lived in
Grays Hall
This is a list of dormitories at Harvard College. Only freshmen live in these dormitories, which are located in and around Harvard Yard. Sophomores, juniors and seniors live in the House system.
Apley Court
South of Harvard Yard on Holyoke Stree ...
during freshman year. He later studied at
Harvard Law School and graduated in 1926.
Lichauco has traveled throughout the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
delivering speeches to promote the idea of Philippine independence. He collaborated with
Moorfield Storey
Moorfield Storey (March 19, 1845 – October 24, 1929) was an American lawyer, anti-imperial activist, and civil rights leader based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Storey's biographer, William B. Hixson, Jr., he had a worldview that embod ...
to publish "The Conquest of the Philippines by the United States," which drew attention to the
Philippine-American war.
In the 1930s, Lichauco was secretary to 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 traveled to the United States Congress to urge passage of a bill granting independence to the Philippines. This ultimately became the
Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act.
Lichauco spent WW-II in occupied Manila. After the war, Lichauco published "Dear Mother Putnam" to document day-to-day life in Japanese-occupied Manila.
In 1963, President
Diosdado Macapagal appointed Marcial Lichauco as Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Lichauco served in that post until 1966.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichauco, Marcial
1902 births
1971 deaths
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Filipino diplomats
Ambassadors of the Philippines to the United Kingdom
Harvard College alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
People from San Miguel, Manila
Burials at the Manila North Cemetery
Filipino politicians of Chinese descent