José Paciano Laurel y García (March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was the president of the Republic of the Philippines during World War II, from 1943 to 1945.
Laurel was not subsequently officially recognized as a Philippine president until the administration of Diosdado Macapagal.
Laurel began his life in public service while a student, as a messenger in the Bureau of Forestry then as a clerk in the Code Committee tasked with the codification of Philippine laws. During his work for the Code Committee, he was introduced to its head, Thomas A. Street, a future Supreme Court Justice who would be a mentor to the young Laurel.
Upon his return from Yale, Laurel was appointed first as Undersecretary of the Interior Department, then promoted as Secretary of the Interior in 1922. In that post, he would frequently clash with the American Governor-General Leonard Wood, and eventually, in 1923, resign from his position together with other Cabinet members in protest of Wood's administration. His clashes with Wood solidified Laurel's nationalist credentials.
Laurel was married to Pacencia Hidalgo in 1911, and had nine children. Several of his children became famous politicians in their own right. His eldest son, Jose Jr., became Speaker of the House of Representatives and a candidate for vice-president in 1957. His younger son, Salvador, was Vice-President from 1986 to 1992.
Three other of Laurel's children would become prominent in politics. Sotero Laurel, named after Laurel's own father, was elected to the Senate from 1987 to 1992; Jose S. Laurel III became Ambassador to Japan; and Mariano H. Laurel became president of the Philippine Banking Corporation. The youngest son, Arsenio ("Dodie") earned fame in a wholly different field, as a race car driver, but he would die tragically young in a racing accident.