Ferdinand Marcos Biography

Ferdinand Marcos was president of The Philippines from 1965 until he was forced to flee in 1986 because of popular opposition to his rule by decree.

Ferdinand Marcos was in law school when he was accused of murdering a political opponent of his father’s in the early 1930s. On appeal, his conviction was overturned in 1939.

He went into politics after World War II and served in the Philippine House of Representatives and Senate before winning the presidency in 1965. He was re-elected in 1969, but civil unrest and threats from Muslim and communist separatists led to his declaration of martial law in 1972.

From then on, Marcos ruled by decree, amassing a personal fortune and using his power to torture and murder citizens and suppress and imprison political opponents, with the diplomatic and financial support of the United States government.

That all changed in 1986. His chief political rival, Benigno Aquino, was assassinated after spending eight years in jail. A popular uprising — called the People Power Revolution and led by Aquino’s widow, Corazon Aquino, forced Marcos to hold presidential elections.

Marcos won the election under shady circumstances, but was forced to flee the country a few weeks later. He and his wife Imelda Marcos settled in Hawaii and the world began to discover the extent of their wealth and corruption.

Indicted by a U.S. court on racketeering charges, Marcos died in 1989, before he could be tried.