César Fernando Cabrera Bengzon (May 29, 1896 – September 3, 1992) was the

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines () presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is currently held by Alexander ...

from April 28, 1961 until May 29, 1966. In November 1966, a few months after his retirement, he became the first Filipino to be appointed to the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

Judicial career

Bengzon earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ateneo de Manila in 1915. He graduated his Bachelor of Laws from the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

in 1919, and placed second in the Bar Examinations that same year. Starting out as a law clerk, he was promoted to

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

in 1932 and Undersecretary of Justice under

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

(later U.S. Supreme Court Justice) Frank Murphy in 1933. He was later appointed in 1936 to the Court of Appeals, and became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1945. He left the Supreme Court in 1948 to become Secretary of Justice under

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...

, but was reinstated a few months later. In 1966, he became the first Filipino ever to be elected judge of the

. He held this position until 1976.

Death

He died on September 3, 1992 at age 96. Upon to his death, he is the longest-lived former Chief Justice ever recorded.

References

Cesar Fernando Bengzon Baptismal Certificate
* Cruz, Isagani A. (2000). ''Res Gestae: A Brief History of the Supreme Court''. Rex Book Store, Manila. * Victor J. Sevilla, Justices of the Supreme Court: their lives and outstanding decisions. Vol. 2: 1945-1964, New Day Publishers, Quezon City (1985) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bengzon, Cesar 1896 births 1992 deaths Associate justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni Chief justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino lawyers International Court of Justice judges Justices of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines People from Tarlac Quirino administration cabinet members Secretaries of justice of the Philippines Solicitors general of the Philippines University of the Philippines alumni University of the Philippines College of Law alumni Filipino judges of United Nations courts and tribunals