Elizalde, J. M. (Joaquín Miguel), 1896-1965

Joaquín Miguel Elizalde y Díaz (August 2, 1896 – February 9, 1965) was a Filipino diplomat and businessman. He notably served as Resident Commissioner of the Philippines from 1938 to 1944 and, following Philippine independence, as Ambassador to the United States from 1946 to 1952.

Born in Manila, he was schooled in Spain, in Switzerland at Dr. Schmidt’s Institute in St. Gallen, and in London, England, at St. Joseph’s College and the London School of Economics. As the scion of one of the islands’ most respected families, Elizalde moved easily among the Filipino elite and, by his early 30s, had positioned himself as one of the Philippines’ captains of industry. From 1918 to 1934, he was a managing partner of Ynchausti y Cia, a trading company that his family founded in the mid-19th century. When Elizalde took over as president in 1934, it became Elizalde & Company, Inc. In 1934, as the islands began to ready for independence, he was appointed president of the National Development Company of the Philippines. Three years later, President Manuel L. Quezon tapped him as an economic adviser. He also had a seat on the National Economic Council, which he held until 1941 and then again from 1952 to 1953.

When Quintin Paredes resigned as Philippine Resident Commissioner, President Quezon appointed Elizalde his successor on September 29, 1938. Elizalde’s policy positions and legislative activities tended to reflect his business background. As a firm supporter of independence, he believed the colonial system had depressed the Philippine economy. He believed that only by giving the island territory the freedom to set the terms of its own international commerce would the situation improve. As often as he pushed for big trade interests in the Philippines, he also looked out for the interests of Filipinos working in the United States and its territories. Elizalde gave very few floor speeches during the six years he served in the House. In fact, the Congressional Record records him speaking on the floor only on three occasions. He resigned abruptly as Resident Commissioner on August 8, 1944, a little more than a week after Quezon’s passing. A member of the Philippines' war cabinet since 1941, he was dropped from the war cabinet following his resignation.

Elizalde’s departure from DC was brief. In July 1946, he returned as the independent Philippines’ first ambassador to the United States. Elizalde’s public service also included a term on the board of governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank from 1946 to 1950. He was appointed the Philippine secretary of foreign affairs from 1952 to 1953. Later he represented the Philippines at the United Nations in a variety of capacities, including chairman of the Philippine delegation (1953 and 1955) and economic adviser to the Philippine Mission, with the rank of ambassador, from 1956 until his death. Elizalde, who for years lived in Adamstown, Maryland, died after a long illness on February 9, 1965, at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. He was interred at St. Joseph’s Church Cemetery in Carrollton Manor, Maryland.