Epifanio de los Santos y Cristobal (July 7, 1871–April 28, 1928) was most distuinguished as a Filipino historian, intellectual titan, literary critic, jurist, antiquitarian and patriot. He was appointed director of the Philippine National Museum and Library by Governor General Leonard Wood in 1925.
De los Santos was considered one of the best Filipino writers in Spanish of his time, compared only to Marcelo H. del Pilar. As a young man, he was the first Filipino to become a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language, Spanish Royal Academy of Literature and Spanish Royal Academy of History in Madrid and was touted as the "First Filipino Academician". It was the admiration of his writings that Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo asked the Real Academia Española to open its door to the benevolent young native scholar. As an ardent nationalist, De los Santos was associate editor of the revolutionary paper La Independencia, writing in scathing prose under the pen name G. Solon. He also co-founded newspapers like La Libertad, El Renaciemento, La Democracia, La Patria and Malaysia. He also made valuable publications namely; Algo de Prosa ( 1909), Literatura Tagala ( 1911), El Teatro Tagala (1911) Nuestra Literatura (1913), El Proceso del Dr. Jose Rizal (1914), Folklore Musical de Filipinas (1920). He also authored Filipinos y filipinistas (Filipinos and Filipinists), Cuentos y paisajes Filipinos (Philippine Stories and Scenes) and Criminality in the Philippines (1903-1908). He was the most eminent scholar of “Samahan ng mga Mananagalog” which was initiated by Felipe Calderon in 1904, and it includes active members with the likes of Lope K. Santos, Rosa Sevilla, Hermenigildo Cruz, Jaime C. De Veyra and Patricio Mariano. He was a man of many excellent talents and had been documented as a translator (Spanish, English, French and German), linguist (even dialects like Ita, Tingian, Ibalao), philosopher, philologist, painter, musician (guitar, piano and violin), poet, biographer, bibliographer, monographer, journalist, publisher, essayist, editor, literary critic, art critic, lecturer, researcher, government executive, jurist, politician, lawyer, outstanding civil servant and philantropist in his lifetime by various historians (Gregorio F. Zaide, Libardo D. Cayco, Teodoro Agoncillo et. al.), local and foreign writers and even American critics like Austin Craig and A.V. Hardtendorp. As a gifted artist, he was described as a brilliant painter but failed to develop more of this talent. As an accomplished musican, he was one of the expert pianist and master guitar player in his time compared to his follower,Guillermo Tolentino (distuinguished sculptor), and General Fernando Canon (revolutionary hero). The artistic potential of the guitar through his skills was realized and documentedly praised by local and foreign music critics like Charles E. Griffith. Griffith likened his guitar playing to the great Segovia of Spain. He was also known to play the violin as well. This outstanding feat earns him a polymath status just like Jose Rizal. Gregorio F. Zaide, his biographer, and Hartendorp has described him a rare genius with his encyclopedic knowledge and talents.