Father Jerome D'Souza, SJ (6 August 1897, Mangalore, South Canara, British India – 12 August 1977, Madras, India) was an Indian Jesuit priest, educationist, writer and member of the Indian Constituent assembly
D’Souza was not directly involved with the freedom movement.
During D’Souza’s tenure at Loyola College, he was appointed to the War Reconstruction Committee to plan post-war education schemes.
Impressed by his work on education and his oratory skills, C. Rajagopalachari proposed his name to the Madras Legislative Assembly.
Contribution to Constitution Making:
D’Souza was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946 from the Madras Presidency. He made important interventions on various topics including language, minority rights and reservation.
Later Contributions:
D’Souza had command over multiple languages such as French, Spanish, English and Dutch, which came in handy when he led diplomatic negotiations on behalf of the Nehru Government .
In 1949, D’Souza was nominated by Nehru to be a part of the Indian Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations – he participated in four sessions.
He was involved in negotiations with the Vatican Church on control over churches in India. D’Souza also negotiated with the French government on the peaceful transfer of French colonies to independent India.
In continuation of his work on education, in 1951 he established Xavier Board of Higher Education in India. D’Souza also established the Indian Social Institute.
D’Souza passed away on 12 August 1977. The Government of India honoured him on his birth centenary by issuing a postal stamp in his name in 1997.
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