Seth Lesser first set foot on Philippine shores on August 12, 1901 as part of a contingent of pioneer educators deployed by the U.S. government, now collectively known as the “Thomasites.” The name was derived from the vessel “USS Thomas” that brought them to the former American colony.

Along with his idealistic fellow-teachers, Seth Lesser came to the Southeast Asian archipelago armed with a vision of preparing the inhabitants for the task of self-governance. They established a new public education system and trained Filipino teachers to teach basic education to the population using English as the medium of instruction. Later, the Thomasites would be credited for transforming the Philippines into the third largest English-speaking country in the world.

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Seth Lesser came from a family of passionate educators. His father, the late Reverend Leonard Lesser founded the Des Moines Preparatory School for Boys in 1890. His mother, Anne Lesser taught piano and the home arts to young local ladies. His two older brothers earned their teaching certificates and founded their own schools in Des Moines.

The then 25-year old Seth Lesser was one of about a hundred Thomasites who stayed on in the Philippines after completing their teaching assignments. He settled in the Northern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte and married the former Ligaya Madiaga. They had five sons, who all became teachers.