Veyra, Jaime C. de (Jaime Carlos), 1873-1963

Jaime Carlos de Veyra (November 4, 1873 – March 7, 1963) was a Filipino journalist, academic, and politician. He served as Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands from 1917 to 1923.

Born in Tanauan in the Philippine province of Leyte, he attended both public and private schools locally before leaving to attend the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila. After he graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1893, de Veyra remained in Manila for two more years to study at the University of Santo Tomas, earning both a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Philosophy and Letters there. After graduating, de Veyra worked as a newspaper editor for several newspapers. In 1901 he was elected municipal councilor in the town of Cebu, and became municipal vice-president the following year. In 1903, he became president of the electoral assembly of Cebu. In 1904, de Veyra became Director of Liceo de Maasim, in Leyte, and served until 1905. In 1906, de Veyra became Governor of Leyte, He served until 1907, when he became a member of the first Philippine Assembly as the first representative of Leyte's Fourth District in the Philippine house of representatives. He served in the Assembly until 1913, when he became a member of the Philippine Commission from 1913 to 1916.

In 1916, de Veyra was appointed executive secretary of the Philippine Islands under Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison, and served until 1917. In 1917, de Veyra was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Resident Commissioner of the Philippines alongside Teodoro R. Yangco. In Washington, de Veyra was far less a legislator than he was a salesman, constantly publicizing the Nacionalista platform and calling for independence at the earliest possible moment. While Woodrow Wilson backed independence, his successor, Warren Harding, believed the United States should hold the islands indefinitely, and de Veyra's ultimate goal in Washington would not be realized. In 1922, he opted not to stand for renomination as Resident Commissioner.

Upon the election of his successor Pedro Guevara, de Veyra returned to the Philippines, where he became a respected academic, widely recognized as “the peerless literary critic in Filipino-Spanish literature.” He published broadly in periodicals and academic journals and also authored several well-received books. He served as the head of the Spanish language department at the University of the Philippines for nine years and was the assistant director of the National Library of the Philippines. At the urging of President Manuel Quezon, he headed the Institute of National Language from 1936 to 1944. De Veyra also was a member of the Real Academia Espanola de la Lengua and the Philippine Historical Committee. He died in Manila on March 7, 1963.