Ramón Avanceña

Ramón Avanceña
Monument to Avanceña in the Supreme Court of the Philippines
4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
In office April 1, 1925 – December 24, 1941
Appointed by	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Manuel Araullo
Succeeded by	José Abad Santos
Attorney General of the Philippines
In office 1914–1917
Preceded by	Ignacio Villamor
Succeeded by	Quintin Paredes
Personal details
Born	April 13, 1872
Died	June 12, 1957 (aged 85)

Ramón Avanceña (April 13, 1872 – June 12, 1957) was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He served from 1925 to 1941, when he resigned at the beginning of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. He was from Villa de Arevalo, Iloilo City

Life and career

He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Bachelor of Laws at University of Santo Tomas.

Ramón Avanceña served as a legal adviser to the Federal Republic of the Visayas, the revolutionary government of provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Antique, and was chosen to negotiate with the American forces on Panay during the Philippine-American War.

During the American Colonial Era, he was appointed as assistant attorney in the Bureau of Justice. In 1905 he was appointed auxiliary judge. He was Attorney General of the Philippines from 1914 until 1917, when he was appointed to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. Upon the death of Manuel Araullo in 1924, he succeeded as Chief Justice, but he had to wait until 1925 to be formally appointed.

He was supposed to join Philippine Commonwealth president Manuel L. Quezon in exile during the onset of the Japanese Occupation, but worried that he would not be together with his family, he decided to stay put.

His sons, José. Alberto and Jesús, became practicing attorneys.

The Ramon Avancena National High School in Villa de Arevalo, Iloilo City and in Manila are both named after him.

References

• Cruz, Isagani A. (2000). Res Gestae: A Brief History of the Supreme Court. Rex Book Store, Manila