He was born on April 4, 1868 in Santa Cruz de Malabon (now Tanza), Cavite to a Spanish
nobleman, Don Jose Gonzales Calderon and Doņa Manuela Roca who was also of a Spanish blood.
He studied in Ateneo Municipal for his primary and secondary courses and was granted scholarships
with free board and lodging on account of his exceptional talent. He received with high honors his
Bachelor of Arts degree. He took up newspaper work and wrote for several newspapers. He later
enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas and completed his Licenciado en Leyes in 1893. After
graduation he apprenticed in the law office of Don Cayetano Arellano.
Inspite of his Spanish heritage, he ardently espoused the revolutionary cause against Spain, thus his
activities caused him imprisonment after the Cry of Pugad Lawin.
In September 1898, after the return of Aguinaldo to Cavite from Hongkong, he accepted Aguinaldos
appointment as a representative of the first district of Paragua in the Revolutionary Congress in
Malolos, Bulacan. When the Constitution was finally proclaimed on January 25, 1899, it was the
most momentous period of his life for it was he who drafted the Malolos Constitution.
When the Filipino American War broke out, he proceeded to Manila where he appeared before the
Schurmann Commission on April 27, offering suggestions for the restoration of peace. He was
requested to draft rules for the government of the first municipalities under American sovereignty.
In 1899, he founded the Colegio de Abogados de Manila and the Escuela de Derecho, a law school.
He taught in both institutions. In 1904, he was appointed member of a commission to draft a
proposed Penal Code. He also organized the La Proteccion de la Infancia, an institution established
to protect and care for babies. He was an indefatigable reader and a nationalistic writer. He died on
July 6, 1908.
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