Alejandro Melchor was a Filipino

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 civil engineer, mathematician, educator, and member of the Cabinet of the Philippines

Cabinet of the Philippines

The Cabinet of the Philippines consists of the heads of the largest part of the executive branch of the national government of the Philippines...

. A native of Ibajay, Aklan

Ibajay, Aklan

Ibajay is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 42,742 people in 7,918 households.-Under the Spanish - "Panay Y Bayjay":...

, Melchor was also known for his work on pontoon bridges during the Second World War.

The historic Melchor Hall in the University of the Philippines

University of the Philippines

The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...

 Diliman campus is named after him. The hall houses most of the units of the UP College of Engineering. A building in the Philippine Military Academy

Philippine Military Academy

The Philippine Military Academy or PMA, is the Philippine military school for the Armed Forces of the Philippines . PMA was established on December 21, 1936 by the virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 1 . PMA is located in Baguio, Benguet province...

 was also named in his honor.

Education

In 1924, Melchor graduated in civil engineering with the highest honors from the University of the Philippines

University of the Philippines

The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...

. By then, the College of Engineering was barely fifteen years old and was still located in the Manila campus.

Career

During the term of Edward R. Hyde as dean

Dean (education)

In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 of the UP College of Engineering (from 1926 to 1940), Alejandro Melchor served as the College Secretary. Prior to this position, Melchor was a regular member of the engineering faculty. Considered a brilliant mathematician in his time, Melchor also became the head of the mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 department of the Philippine Military Academy

Philippine Military Academy

The Philippine Military Academy or PMA, is the Philippine military school for the Armed Forces of the Philippines . PMA was established on December 21, 1936 by the virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 1 . PMA is located in Baguio, Benguet province...

.

Melchor was known for designing the pontoon bridges used by the U.S. Army during the Second World War. According to http://www.engg.upd.edu.ph/history2.html, Melchor's work "contributed significantly in winning the war for the Allied Forces". Melchor also attained the rank of colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

.

Melchor obtained his highest rank of public service when he became the Secretary of National Defense in President Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...

's Cabinet

Cabinet of the Philippines

The Cabinet of the Philippines consists of the heads of the largest part of the executive branch of the national government of the Philippines...

. Upon Quezon's death and Sergio Osmeña

Sergio Osmeña

Sergio Osmeña y Suico was a Filipino politician who served as the 4th President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under Manuel L. Quezon, and rose to the presidency upon Quezon's death in 1944, being the oldest Philippine president to hold office at age 65...

's succession as president, Melchor became the Military Adviser of the war cabinet

War Cabinet

A War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers. It is also quite common for a War Cabinet to have senior military officers and opposition politicians as members....

. This was during the Second World War, when the Philippine government was in exile.

He died in 1947.
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