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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-8/lorenzo_tanada-sm.webp"  alt="Lorenzo Tañada and wife Expedita" />
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(Lorenzo Tañada and wife Expedita (Photo credit:  lorenzomtanada.org))
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<h3>
Early Life and Education
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Lorenzo was the fourth child in a family of nine siblings, born to Vicente Lopez Tañada, the last <i>gobernadorcillo</i> (capitan municipal) of Gumaca under Spanish rule, and Anastacia Martinez. His grandfather, Pedro Tañada, was a goldsmith, and his uncle Deogracias Tañada served as mayor of Gumaca. Growing up during the American colonial period, Tañada's early education began at Gumaca primary school, but he transferred to Atimonan Elementary School after his initial school closed due to poor conditions. He later attended a trade school in Gumaca but was advised to switch paths due to his lack of aptitude for carpentry.
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In 1914, Tañada enrolled at De La Salle College (now <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/2843/today-in-philippine-history-june-16-1911-the-de-la-salle-brothers-opened-in-paco-manila-the-first-la-salle-school-in-the-country" class="news_link">De La Salle University</a>) in Manila for seventh grade, pursuing a combined general high school and business curriculum with 17 subjects. He graduated in 1918 and later became vice president of the De La Salle Alumni Club. Initially aspiring to become a doctor, Tañada shifted to law after being inspired by lawyer Agustin Alvarez's courtroom eloquence in 1913. He entered the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1188/today-in-philippine-history-june-18-1908-the-university-of-the-philippines-was-established" class="news_link">University of the Philippines</a> in 1918, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1919 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1922 (some sources note 1924). While at UP, he was active in ROTC, sports, and dramatics. In 1929, he pursued a Master of Laws at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="norferrer">Harvard University</a>.
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Tañada's family instilled strong values; his father enforced strict rules, such as returning home for the Angelus prayer, and once punished him for lying, teaching him that "a liar is brother to the thief." His mother, Anastacia, influenced his discipline, religious faith, and love for reading.
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August 10, 1898: Lorenzo Tañada was born in Gumaca, Quezon