James Francis Smith
James Francis Smith was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Governor-General of the Philippines and an associate judge of the United States Court of Customs Appeals.
Education and career
Born on January 28, 1859, in San Francisco, California, Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1877 from Santa Clara University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in 1878 from the same institution, then attended the University of [California, Hastings College of the Law]. He was in private practice in California from 1881 to 1898.In April 1898, Smith joined the United States Army and served in the Spanish–American War as Colonel of the 1st California Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and participated in the Capture of Guam. He then served in the Philippine–American War, where he served as the Collector of Customs for the Philippine Archipelago in Manila. Following the end of the war, Smith held a number of offices on the Philippine Commission, including Secretary of Public Instruction and Vice-Governor. From 1901 to 1903 he was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was Governor-General of the Philippines from 1906 to 1909.
Smith's tenure as Governor-General saw the Philippines achieving greater territorial autonomy as and allowing for greater Filipino representation in the government. On March 28, 1907, Smith issued a statement claiming that the people of the Philippines had largely been "law-abiding, peaceful, and loyal to the United States" according to a 1905 census. After the Philippines had held its first democratic elections, he was present at the inauguration of the first Philippine Assembly on October 17, 1907.
Smith's wife wanted to escape the summertime heat of Manila. So in 1908, he had a mansion in Baguio built as a second official residence. Smith's family became the first residents of the building.