Born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte on September 11, 1917 to Mariano Marcos and Josefa Edralin. He was 10th President of the Philippines and held office from 1966 to 1986. He established an authoritarian regime in the Philippines that came under criticism for corruption and for its suppression of democratic processes. Besides being president, he also became the first prime minister in Philippine history.

Marcos studied law at he University of the Philippines and while still a student hewas tried for the assasination in 1933 of Assymlyman Julio Nalundasan, a political opponent of his father. He was found guilty in November 1939 but argued his case on appeal to the Philippine Supreme Court and won acquittal a year later. After graduation, he took the bar examinations and became its topnotcher.

During World War II Marcos served as an office with the philippine armed forces. Captured by the Japanese, he survived the Death march from bataan to central Luzon and escaped. Marcos' subsequent claimsbeing an important leader in the Filipino guerilla resistance movement were a central factor in his later political succes, but U.S. government archives revealed that he actuall played little or no part in anti-japanese activities during the war.

From 1946 to 1947 Marcos was a technical assistant to President Manuel Roxas. He became member of the House of Representatives (1949-59) and of the senate (1963-65). Marcos also assumed the position of president of the Philippines senate. He married Imelda Romualdez in 1954 who successfully helped him later in his campaigned for the presidency. In 1965, Marcos broke off from the Liberal Party after failing to get his party's nomination for president. He then ran as the Nationalista Party's candidate for president against Diosdado Macapagal who was the chosen candidate of the Liberal Party.