Emilio Attard Alonso facts for kids

Emilio Attard in January 1981

Emilio Attard Alonso was an important Spanish politician. He was born in Valencia, Spain, on April 8, 1915, and passed away in Rocafort on December 16, 1997. He played a big part in Spain's move from a dictatorship to a democracy.

Emilio Attard's Early Life and Work

Emilio Attard was active in politics when he was young. This was during a time called the Second Spanish Republic. He worked as a lawyer and gave legal advice to the Bank of Spain in Valencia. He also studied journalism in the early 1930s. He wrote many articles during this time. Later, he helped start the Spanish Export Bank. By the 1960s, he became a leader in the Spanish College of Lawyers.

Becoming a Key Politician in Spain

After the time when Francisco Franco was in charge of Spain, Emilio Attard helped create the Valencian People's Party. He became its president. This party later joined with other groups to form the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) in 1977.

As a member of the UCD, he was chosen to be part of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He represented Valencia Province in the 1977 General Election. He was chosen again in the next election in 1979.

Helping Create the Spanish Constitution

Emilio Attard was a very good lawyer. During Spain's change to democracy, he was chosen for a special job. He became the president of the group in parliament that wrote the new Spanish constitution. This was a very important task for the country.

Because of his work, he and six other members of the Constitutional Commission received a special award. King Juan Carlos I gave them the Grand Cross of Alonso X. Within the UCD party, he was also a vice-president of their group in Congress. He served on the UCD's national and regional leadership teams. He was also one of the vice-presidents of the Congress itself.

The "Battle of Valencia" and Naming the Valencian Community

In the late 1970s, there was a disagreement in Valencia. People were arguing about the Valencian Statute of Autonomy. This time was known as the "Battle of Valencia" (Spanish: Batalla de Valencia). Emilio Attard played a big role in organizing groups that were against certain ideas about Valencia's identity.

However, he is also known for coming up with the name Valencian Community (Spanish: Communidad Valenciana). This name was a good compromise. The UCD party wanted to call it "Kingdom of Valencia" (Spanish: Reino de Valencia). The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) wanted to call it "Valencian Country" (Spanish: País Valenciano). His suggestion helped everyone agree.

He left the UCD's leadership in May 1981. Four years later, he resigned from the Council of State. This was a protest against a former PSOE minister being named president of that group.

Later Years and Legacy

In his later years, Emilio Attard focused on his legal work. He also worked as a professor at the University of Valencia. There, he taught about political rights. In 1996, he became the president of the Constitutional Council of the Generalitat Valenciana. This is the regional government of Valencia.

He also wrote many books. A lot of his books were about Spanish constitutionalism and political history.

Published Works

Emilio Attard wrote several books, often about Spanish politics and history:

• Vida y muerte de UCD (1983)
• Conviviendo en libertad (1986)
• La constitución española por dentro
• Constitucionalismo español: 1808-1978 (1988)
• Mi razón política (1994)
• Diccionario ideológico político de la transición (1995)
• Bosquejo histórico-político de la España contemporánea (1996).

See also

In Spanish: Emilio Attard para niños