Gregorio S. Araneta

Don Gregorio Araneta y Soriano was a Filipino lawyer, businessman, nationalist and patriot, who served his country and people during the Spanish colonization and American occupation. He served as the Secretary of Finance and the Attorney General of the Philippines. He turned down the offer of being Chief Justice twice.

References

• "Gregorio S. Araneta". Wikipedia: 6 Sep 2017. http://bit.ly/2ACD70K. Date accessed: 14 Dec 2017.
• Gallery of Illustrious Filipinos (1917), by Manuel Artigas (Volume I, p. 701-705)

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Gregorio Soriano Araneta

Born in Molo, Iloilo on 19 April 1869 to Felix M. Araneta and Paz D. Soriano, Gregorio Araneta attended the private and public schools of Molo from 1876 to 1879. At the age of 10, he moved to Manila and there he pursued his secondary and college education at the Ateneo Municipal from 1879-1884 wherein he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

In 1891, he obtained from the University of Santo Tomas his degree of Licenciado en Derecho while managing to finish a course in surveying in the same institution as well. After passing the bar, he joined the law office of Don Jose Ycaza. He became the auxiliary register of deeds for the southern district of Manila from 1894-1895 and acting fiscal in 1896.

During the revolution, Araneta was secretary of the Filipino Congress and Secretary of Justice in the cabinet of General Emilio Aguinaldo. He became a member of the Supreme Court in May, 1899 under the military government headed by General Elwell Otis. (Galang, Zoilo: “Encyclopedia of the Philippines”, Volume 3; p. 321-322, 1950.) He was appointed as Solicitor General on June 15, 1901. Then on July 16, 1906, he was appointed Attorney General replacing Libbeus R. Wilfley. On July 1, 1908, he was named member of the Philippine Commission and at the same time Secretary of Justice and Finance, serving in the said positions until October 10, 1913. Upon his resignation, he established a law office with Salvador Zaragosa as joint partner and taught law at the University of Santo Tomas. (Manuel, Arsenio: “A Dictionary of Philippine Biography”, Volume 3; p. 566, 1986.)

Gregorio Araneta was married to Carmen Zaragosa with whom he had 14 children. He died of a heart attack on March 9, 1930.

The legal representations on behalf of the Roxas-Elio family were the first big cases and legal wins of Gregorio Araneta and became the bedrock of his eventually large fortune." _ Felix Roxas

Francisco = Francisco Reyes Roxas