Domingo Imperial | |
|---|---|
 Senatorial portrait of Imperial, published by Benipayo Press,c. 1935 | |
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office July 5, 1945 – May 25, 1946 | |
| Senator of the Philippines from the6th District | |
| In office June 5, 1934 – November 15, 1935 Serving with Jose O. Vera | |
| Preceded by | Jose Fuentebella |
| Succeeded by | office abolished |
| Chairman of the Commission on Elections | |
| In office 14 April 1951 – 31 March 1958 | |
| Appointed by | Elpidio Quirino |
| Preceded by | Vicente de Vera |
| Succeeded by | Jose Carag |
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines | |
| In office 11 May 1942 – 31 January 1944 | |
| Appointed by | Jorge Vargas(as President of thePhilippine Executive Commission) |
| Preceded by | Jose Yulo |
| Succeeded by | Felicisimo Feria |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1890-08-04)August 4, 1890 |
| Died | July 19, 1965(1965-07-19) (aged 74) |
| Political party | Nacionalista |
Domingo Fernandez Imperial (August 4, 1890 – July 19, 1965) was a Filipino politician.
He was the son of David Imperial and Lena Fernandez. He attended theSan Beda College,Liceo de Manila and theUniversity of Santo Tomas, graduating from the latter with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then taught in the Investra Señora del Rosario College and in the Colegio Mercantil (nowNational University), from 1907 to 1908 and studied law in Escuela de la Jurisprudencia, finishing his course in 1912, and passed the bar examinations with the highest average the same year.[1]
He later established his law office in Albay.
Imperial belonged to a family that dominated politics in Albay for many years. His cousin Carlos Imperial was Albay's representative to the1st Philippine Legislature and a Justice of theSupreme Court of the Philippines. His cousinLeoncio Imperial was also a senator from 1917 to 1922 and governor from 1912 to 1916 and from 1922 to 1925. His brother, Jose Imperial was also governor of Albay. His son,Carlos R. Imperial, was a congressman for the2nd district of Albay and an MP in theInterim Batasang Pambansa.[2][3]
In 1934, he was elected Senator from the6th District comprising theBicol region. In the1935 Philippine presidential election, he was one of the chief campaign managers in the region for theNacionalista ticket of PresidentManuel Quezon and Vice PresidentSergio Osmeña. He was later appointed by Quezon as one of the first justices of theCourt of Appeals.[1]
In 1941, Imperial was elected in theSenate elections on November 11, 1941 as a candidate of theNacionalista Party. However, he and other Senators were not able to take office due to the invasion and occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese the following month. He was only able to serve when the body was reconvened after the Liberation of the country in 1945 and served until 1946. In the meantime, he was appointed as anAssociate Justice of theSupreme Court by the Japanese-installedPhilippine Executive Commission from 1942 to 1944, but was not recognized as such until 2019.[4]
In 1951, Imperial was appointed by PresidentElpidio Quirino as Chairman of theCommission on Elections following the death ofVicente de Vera. During his tenure, he oversaw several electoral exercises such as the1951 Senate election, the1953 presidential election, the1955 Senate election, and the1957 presidential election. He resigned from office in 1958.[5]