World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseJorge B. Vargas was born in Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Bacolod High School in 1909. In 1911 and 1914, he received his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees, respectively, from the University of the Philippines. He was a law clerk with the Department of the Interior between 1914 and 1918, and then became Speaker Sergio Osmeña's legislative secretary. In 1919, he was appointed President Manuel Quezon's executive secretary. In 1935, he became a member of the executive board of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America, then in the following year a founding member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In 1941, he was appointed by Quezon as the mayor of the Manila metropolitan region with responsibility of administering it as an open city during the Japanese invasion. As the Philippines fell under Japanese control, Vargas became the Presiding Officer of the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Executive Commission between 23 Jan 1942 and 14 Oct 1943. Between 1949 and 1961, he was the President and Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In 1960, he was awarded the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor by the Philippine government for his service. He died in Manila in 1980.

Photographs

Jorge Vargas Timeline