author
Rafael Palma
1874–1939
A leading Filipino writer, journalist, and public servant, he helped shape both modern Philippine politics and higher education. He is especially remembered for his work on José Rizal and for serving as president of the University of the Philippines.
1 Audiobook
The Woman and the Right to Vote
by Rafael Palma
About the author
Born in Tondo, Manila, on October 24, 1874, Rafael Palma built a career that moved across journalism, law, politics, and education. He studied at Ateneo de Manila and later law at the University of Santo Tomas, then became active in the reformist and nationalist world of his time.
During the revolutionary period, he wrote for La Independencia, the newspaper associated with Antonio Luna, and later helped found El Nuevo Día in Cebu. He went on to serve in public office, including as a member of the Philippine Assembly and later as a senator, while also gaining a reputation as an essayist, orator, and public intellectual.
Palma is widely remembered as the fourth president of the University of the Philippines, serving from 1925 to 1933, and as the author of an influential biography of José Rizal that later appeared in English as The Pride of the Malay Race. He died in Manila on May 24, 1939, leaving a legacy that connects Philippine letters, public service, and national education.