Born: March 22, 1869(1869-03-22)
Cavite El Viejo (Kawit), Cavite
Died: February 6, 1964 (aged 94)
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Political party: Magdalo faction of the Katipunan, National Socialist Party
Spouse: (1) Hilaria del Rosario-died
(2) Maria Agoncillo
Religion: Roman Catholic
The seventh of eight children of Carlos Jamir Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy, he was born into a Chinese-mestizo family on March 22, 1869 in Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite province. His father was gobernadorcillo (town head), and, as members of the Chinese-mestizo minority, they enjoyed relative wealth and power.
As a young boy, Aguinaldo received basic education from his great-aunt and later attended the town's elementary school. In 1880, he took up his secondary course education at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, which he quit on his third year to return home instead to help his widowed mother manage their farm.
At the age of 17, Emilio was elected cabeza de barangay of Binakayan, the most progressive barrio of Cavite El Viejo. He held this position serving for his town-mates for eight years. He also engaged in inter-island shipping, travelling as far south as the Sulu Archipelago.
In 1893, the Maura Law was passed to reorganize town governments with the aim of making them more effective and autonomous, changing the designation of town head from gobernadorcillo to capitan municipal effective 1895. On January 1, 1895, Aguinaldo was elected town head, becoming the first person to hold the title of capitan municipal of Cavite El Viejo.
