Raul Leuterio

Raul Tristan Comagon Leuterio (October 24, 1904 – February 9, 1970) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat, and politician. He served as representative of Mindoro's at-large congressional district in the House of Representatives and later as assemblyman in the National Assembly across six terms from 1934 to 1952, before representing Oriental Mindoro's at-large congressional district from 1952 to 1953. He served as House majority leader from 1946 to 1953 during the 1st and 2nd Congresses.

Early life and education Leuterio was born on October 24, 1904, in Santa Cruz, Manila, to former representative Mariano Leuterio and Josefa Comagon. He attended National University, where he completed his secondary education before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925. He then studied law at the University of the Philippines, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1929. He took the Bar examinations in the same year and placed among the top examinees with a rating of 90.7%.

Career House of Representatives

In 1934, Leuterio was elected to represent Mindoro's at-large congressional district in the House of Representatives, succeeding a seat previously held by his father, Mariano Leuterio, from 1914 to 1932. He served in the 10th Philippine Legislature until the adoption of the 1935 Constitution, which replaced Congress with the National Assembly. He was elected to the 2nd National Assembly in 1938 and, during the Japanese occupation, to the National Assembly of the Second Republic in 1943. Following the liberation of the Philippines, Leuterio joined the Liberal wing of the Nacionalista Party, which later became the Liberal Party, and won three consecutive terms representing Mindoro's at-large district from 1945 to 1953. During the 1st and 2nd Congresses, he served as House majority leader.

Leuterio authored and sponsored what became Republic Act No. 505, signed into law by President Elpidio Quirino on June 13, 1950, which divided the province of Mindoro into Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. For this, he became known as the "founding father of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro". Following the province's division, he represented Oriental Mindoro's at-large congressional district from 1952 until the expiration of his term in 1953.

Leuterio ran for the Senate in 1951 but was unsuccessful, placing 13th among the candidates for the eight contested seats.

Diplomatic career U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (left) receives Senator Jose P. Laurel (right), accompanied by Consul General Raul Leuterio (center), at the White House in 1954. In October 1946, President Manuel Roxas appointed Leuterio, upon the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, as a member of the Philippine delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. He sponsored the Philippines' first proposal before the General Assembly, calling for a global conference on freedom of information, and also sponsored a proposal advocating equal rights for women. He also briefly served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C., from 1954 to 1955. During his tenure as consul general, the Philippine Consulate relocated to the 76th floor of the Empire State Building, where it remained until 1962, when the Department of Foreign Affairs acquired the Kevorkian property on East 66th Street as its new chancery. In July 1966, during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, he was appointed Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of China.

Death Leuterio died of a heart attack in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1970.

Electoral history + Electoral history of Raul Leuterio Year Office Party Votes received Result Total % . Swing 1934 Representative (Mindoro at-large) NacionalistaDemocratico 6,042 1st 1938 Assemblyman (Mindoro at-large) Nacionalista 1st 1941 Representative (Mindoro at-large) 1st 1943 Assemblyman (Mindoro at-large) KALIBAPI 1st 1946 Representative (Mindoro at-large) Liberal 1st 1949 1st 1951 Senator of the Philippines 850,216 19.36% 16th