Who was Ferdinand Marcos? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr.

Died At Age: 72

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Imelda Marcos

father: Mariano Marcos

mother: Josefa Edralin

siblings: Elizabeth Marcos-Keon, Fortuna Marcos-Barba, Pacifico Marcos

children: Aimee Marcos, Bongbong Marcos, Imee Marcos, Irene Marcos-Araneta

Presidents Prime Ministers

Height: 5'7" (170 cm), 5'7" Males

Died on: September 28, 1989

place of death: Honolulu

Diseases & Disabilities: Lupus

Founder/Co-Founder: Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Light Rail Transit Authority

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education: University of the Philippines College of Law

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Childhood & Early Life

Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was born to Mariano Marcos and his wife Josefa Edralin in Sarrat, IlocosNorte, Philippines on 11 September 1917. Marcos’ father was a qualified lawyer and also one of the leading politicians in Philippines.

Marcos studied at some of the best schools in the capital of Philippines in Manila but the names of the schools are unknown. Later on, he went on to study law, like his father, at the University of the Philippines at some point in the latter part of the 1930s. He was excelled in extra-curricular activities and revelled in boxing, swimming and debating.

In 1933, one of his father’s political rivals who had managed to defeat Mariano Marcos in an election was murdered. Ferdinand Marcos was accused and prosecuted for having colluded in the murder. He was found guilty but he defended himself in court. He was acquitted six years after the alleged murder took place.

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Career

Marcos joined the Philippine army after the commencement of the Second World War and served as an officer for the duration of the war.

Following Philippines’ independence and the end of the Second World War, Ferdinand Marcos joined politics. He entered the House of Representatives from Ilocos Norte in 1949 and over the next ten years he was elected to the house two more times. During that decade, he served in different important capacities like the Chairman of House Committee on Commerce and Industry, member of the defence committee and several other committees.

In 1959, Marcos became a member of the Philippine Senate and before long he became the floor leader of the minority. Two years after getting into the senate, the Liberal Party made him their executive vice president and two years after that he became the Senate President. During his two year long stint as the president of the Senate, Marcos was responsible for the introduction of a number of new bills.

In 1965, Marcos was elected as the President of Philippines and during his campaign for the presidency, he stressed on his past as a soldier and the campaign proved to be successful. A year after assuming the presidency, Marcos sent Philippine soldiers to serve in the Vietnam War where they served for four years.

Marcos became the president for a second term in 1969 and the very next year he had to face opposition and protests from the left wing. The protests, along with Islamic threats, were one of the main reasons why Marcos imposed martial law in Philippines three years after beginning his 2nd term and for the next nine years the country was under martial law as Marcos tried to establish a ‘New Society’. Opposition leaders and left wing activists were arrested, media was censored and even the Congress was closed down.

Ferdinand Marcos became the Prime Minister of Philippines in 1978 and made sure that he made the position as powerful as that of the president of the country by transferring those powers to his office. Three years later, martial law was suspended and presidential elections were called. Marcos won the election by a big margin.

Marcos’ third term as the president of Philippines ran into trouble in 1985 when there was an attempt to impeach him for stealing state assets to the tune of millions but a committee struck it down. The same year, Marcos called for elections ahead of schedule and duly won it, however there were allegations of electoral corruption. The failure of the electoral process gave further power to the ‘People Power Movement’. A year after the election, the opposition overtook the city and Marcos fled. He found asylum in Hawaii.

Personal Life & Legacy

Marcos got married to Imelda Romualdez in 1954. His wife Imelda also went on to become a politician. The couple had four children named - Ma Imelda Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Irene Marcos and Aimee Marcos.

Marcos died on 28 September 1989 in Honolulu after suffering from heart and kidney problems.

Ferdinand Marcos Biography