Carlos P. Romulo
A Filipino giant on the world stage, he fought for his nation's identity with a typewriter, a speech, and formidable diplomatic grit.
1899–1985 (age 86)·Filipino politician & diplomat·Birthday: January 14·The Lost Generation
Biography
Carlos P. Romulo stood just four feet eleven inches, but his stature in 20th-century history is immense. He began as a fiery journalist, winning a Pulitzer Prize for a prescient series on the coming war in the Pacific. When that war arrived, he served as a general on MacArthur's staff, famously declaring 'I shall return' alongside him. His true arena was diplomacy. As the Philippines' first ambassador to the UN, his eloquent, thunderous voice became synonymous with the aspirations of newly independent nations. He was the first Asian to preside over the UN General Assembly, and he helped draft the UN Charter, fiercely arguing against colonial-era language. Romulo was a complex patriot, a staunch ally of America who also bluntly criticized Western imperialism. Over a career spanning eight Philippine presidents, he never stopped being a reporter at heart, using words as his primary weapon to secure a place for his country in the modern world.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Carlos was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Carlos Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Carlos's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 70
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 80
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1985Died at 86
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
Key Achievements
- Became the first Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949.
- Was a signatory to the United Nations Charter in 1945 and helped draft its preamble.
- Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1942 for his journalism forecasting WWII in the Pacific.
- Served as the Philippines' Secretary of Foreign Affairs under four different presidents.
Did You Know?
He was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
He served as president of the University of the Philippines from 1962 to 1968.
He received over 70 honorary degrees from universities around the world.
Despite his close ties to America, he was a sharp critic of the U.S. military bases agreement in the Philippines.
“I am a Filipino, inheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain future.”
