Teodoro R. Yangco

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Teodoro R. Yangco

| image = TeodoroRYangco.jpg

| caption =

| office = Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Philippine Islands

| term_start = March 4, 1917

| term_end = March 3, 1920

| predecessor = Manuel L. Quezon

| successor = Isauro Gabaldon

| office1 = President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands

| predecessor1 = Francisco Reyes

| successor1 = Rafael del Pan

| term1 = 1904

| birth_date = {{birth date|1861|11|9}}

| birth_place = San Antonio, Zambales, Captaincy General of the Philippines

| death_date = {{death date and age|1939|4|20|1861|11|9}}

| death_place =

| resting_place = Manila North Cemetery

| nationality = United States

| alma_mater = Ateneo Municipal de Manila
University of Santo Tomas

| party =

| parents = Luis R. Yangco
Ramona Arguelles vda. de Corpus

| spouse =

| nickname = Theo

| citizenship = Philippine

| birth_name = Teodoro Rafael Yangco y Argüelles

}}

Teodoro Rafael "Theo" Yangco y Argüelles (November 9, 1861 – April 20, 1939) was a Filipino businessman who served in a variety of public and civic offices and was considered to be the foremost Filipino philanthropist of his time.Eminent Filipinos. Manila: National Historical Commission. 1970. He served as the Resident Commissioner of the Philippines from 1917 to 1920. He was the longest-serving president of the YMCA in the Philippines (1911–1925) and was called the "Father of the YMCA of the Philippines".Turner, Dr. E.S. (1965). Nation Building. Capitol Publishing House, Inc.

Biography

Yangco was born on November 9, 1861, in San Antonio, Zambales. He was the only child of shipping magnate Luis R. Yangco and Ramona Arguelles Vda. de Corpus, widow of Tomas Corpus, and is of Chinese descent through his father.{{cite journal|last=Robb|first=Walter|title=The "Chino" in the Philippine Islands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3tQAQAAMAAJ&dq=Yangco&pg=PA913|journal=Asia, the American Magazine on the Orient|volume=21|issue=7|page=913|date=July 1921|via=Google Books|issn=0891-3536}} He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1880 and graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1881.Zalde, Gregorio F. (1970). Great Filipinos in History. Verde Bookstore. He pursued a commercial course at Ealing Commercial College in London from 1882 to 1886.Stagg, Samuel (1934). Teodoro R. Yangco. Manila: University of The Philippines Press.

Yangco established a shipping company, organized a bus company called TRY TRAN, set up a shipyard, and founded a big department store named Bazar Siglo XX and a huge dry-goods market in Divisoria called Yangco Market.Stagg, Samuel (1934). Teodoro R. Yangco. Manila: University of The Philippines Press. He also became president of Insular Life.1910/2010 The Century Past, A Century Forward. House Printers, Inc. Press. 2010. {{ISBN|978-971-94790-3-1}}. He followed his father's practice of investing his surplus earnings in properties suitable for commercial purposes.Stagg, Samuel (1934). Teodoro R. Yangco. Manila: University of The Philippines Press.

A member of the Nacionalista Party, Yangco succeeded Manuel L. Quezon, who later became President of the Philippines, as Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the U.S. Congress, and he served from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1920. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1920 and resumed his business activities in Manila.United States congressional delegations from Philippines

File:Teodoro Yangco Monument & Marker in front of the San Antonio Town Hall in Zambales.jpg Town Plaza)]]

Yangco was one of the founders of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and was its president for several years. In 1923, he represented it in the first Pan Pacific Commercial Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii where he eloquently defended the cause for Philippine independence.Eminent Filipinos. Manila: National Historical Commission. 1970.

He died on April 20, 1939.Zalde, Gregorio F. (1970). Great Filipinos in History. Verde Bookstore. He is buried in the Manila North Cemetery.

Legacy

Yangco donated large sums of money to various charitable, religious and civic organizations.Quirino, Carlos (1995). Who's Who in the Philippine History. Manila: Tahanan Books. Aside from his cash donation, he also donated various parcels of land in Metro Manila and Zambales.Stagg, Samuel (1934). Teodoro R. Yangco. Manila: University of The Philippines Press. One of the biggest properties he donated was the 31,031 square meter lot in a commercial area in Manila that became the site of YMCA of the Philippines.Documents related to OCT #2611 in the name of Teodoro R. Yangco dated 1913 and TCT #7253 dated 3/19/17 (re: donation of the 31,031 square meters property to the International Committee of YMCA of NYC)