James Leonard Gordon
| James Leonard Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Olongapo City | |
|
In office November 1964 – February 20, 1967 |
|
| President |
Diosdado Macapagal Ferdinand Marcos |
| Preceded by | Ildefonso O. Arriola |
| Succeeded by | Jaime Guevarra |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Leonard Tagle Gordon January 17, 1917 Imus, Cavite, Philippines |
| Died | February 20, 1967 (aged 50) Olongapo, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Spouse(s) | Amelia (née Juico) |
| Children | 6 (including Dick Gordon) |
| Residence | Olongapo City, Philippines |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
James Leonard Tagle Gordon (January 17, 1917 – February 20, 1967) was the first elected mayor of Olongapo City, Philippines from December 30, 1963 to February 20, 1967. He was born on January 17, 1917 of an American Marine father, John Jacob Gordon, and a Filipina mother, Veronica Tagle y Bella.
Unlike his four brothers who took American citizenship and lived in the United States, he chose to stay in the Philippines as a Filipino citizen and raised his children as Filipino citizens. Gordon is the father of former Olongapo Mayor Richard Gordon.
His family orientedness showed in his successful attempts to put up an institution that would take care of orphans and abandoned children. Together with his friends, he put up Boys Town- Girls Home which still exists to this day, caring for around 70 wards. Jimmy Gordon’s widow Amelia J. Gordon continues this tradition of caring by keeping under her care children from very poor families.
In the field of civic work James Gordon led in the forming of groups that worked on community projects. He was one of the organizers of the Olongapo Civic Action Group that worked on beautification projects and in general improvement of the city. He was one of the founders of the Olongapo Rotary Club, which has given rise to four other Rotary Clubs at present. He was also one of the founders of the Olongapo Knights of Columbus- and was selected the second Grand Knight. He organized the Olongapo Businessmen’s Association which then, as now, played a significant part in community life.
During Gordon’s time Olongapo was in a strange situation. The rest of the Philippines had been declared independent of the United States on July 4, 1946. Olongapo, however, remained under U.S. Government jurisdiction. It had been declared a U.S. Naval Reservation soon after the U.S. and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris. As such it was administered by a U.S. Navy officer. In other words, instead of having a Filipino Mayor, Olongapo had as its governing authority an American military official. Residents had to follow strict rules like: always having an ID Card issued by the Reservation office; home lots could not be owned, these could be taken back any time the US Navy needed the area; relatives from out of town can stay only for a few days and had to renew their passes if their stay is extended; only families with working members could stay in the Reservation. These strictly followed rules made the residents angry. But they became angrier when bus passengers going in and out of the Naval Reservation were made to get off the bus for strict searches of their belongings.
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Wikipedia