Jaume Aiguader facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jaume Aiguader i Miró
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| Mayor of Barcelona | |
| In office 1931–1934 |
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| Preceded by | Joan Antoni Güell i López |
| Succeeded by | Carles Pi i Sunyer |
| Minister of Labor and Social Assistance | |
| In office 17 May 1937 – 16 August 1938 |
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| Preceded by | Anastasio de Gracia Villarrubia (Labor) Federica Montseny Mañé (Health and Social Assistance) |
| Succeeded by | Jose Moix Regás |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 July 1882 Reus, Baix Camp, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. |
| Died | 30 May 1943 (aged 60) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation | Doctor, writer, politician |
Jaume Aiguader i Miró (born July 24, 1882 – died May 30, 1943) was an important Spanish doctor, writer, and politician. He was also a strong supporter of Catalonia. He helped start a political party called the Republican Left of Catalonia. Jaume Aiguader became the Mayor of Barcelona. He also served as a national representative during the Second Spanish Republic. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), he was a minister in charge of Labor and Social Assistance. After the war, he had to leave Spain. He died while living in Mexico.
Contents
Jaume Aiguader's Early Life
Growing Up in Reus
Jaume Aiguader i Miró was born in Reus, a city in Catalonia, Spain. This was on July 24, 1882. His father owned a transport business. This meant his family was quite well-off. Young Jaume studied in Reus. He was always very interested in what was happening in the world. He joined a group of young people. Some of them had anarchist ideas, which means they believed in no government.
Becoming a Doctor
Jaume did not want to work in his family's business. Around 1900, he moved to Barcelona to study medicine. He wrote for different magazines. Some of his writings were for anarchist newspapers. He opened a medical clinic in a working-class area of Barcelona. Sometimes, he treated people for free. He finished his medical studies in 1907. Then, he moved to Madrid to get his doctorate degree. He became a full doctor in 1909.
In 1912, Jaume Aiguader wrote a book. It was about how social infections could affect marriage. That same year, he married Carme Cortés i Lladó. Her family also had many doctors. They had four children together: Jaume Anton, Carme, Núria, and Cristian. From 1912 to 1914, Aiguader lived back in Reus. After that, he moved to Barcelona again and kept working as a doctor. In 1919, he helped create a union for doctors in Catalonia. He also worked for the Barcelona city medical team starting in 1921. From 1921 to 1925, he led a cultural group called the Ateneu Enciclopèdic Popular.
Political Career and Challenges
Standing Up to Dictatorship
Jaume Aiguader believed in left-wing politics. He also strongly supported Catalan nationalism. This means he wanted Catalonia to have more independence. In 1923, he joined a political party called the Unió Socialista de Catalunya (Socialist Union of Catalonia). Spain was under a dictatorship led by Miguel Primo de Rivera at this time. Aiguader joined another group called Estat Català, which was against the dictatorship. Because he opposed the government, his home was searched. He was also arrested several times. He was held in a prison called Model for many months. This was from November 1926 to May 1927. During and after the dictatorship, he wrote many books. These books were about science and social issues.
Founding a New Party
As a leader of Estat Català, Aiguader traveled to Brussels. He met with Francesc Macià, another important Catalan leader. In 1929, he became more active in secret political work. He helped with the Pact of San Sebastián in 1930. This was an agreement to bring back the Republic. In March 1931, Aiguader helped create a new political party. It was called d'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia). He was one of the candidates from this party who won the local elections on April 12, 1931. He promised to make big changes for the people.
Mayor of Barcelona
On April 14, 1931, Aiguader joined other leaders. They declared the Catalan Republic within a larger Spanish federation. He was then named the Mayor of Barcelona. The city government faced many problems. It had a lot of debt and not enough money. However, they did manage to collect taxes better. They also greatly increased the number of children attending new city schools. In May 1931, Aiguader was elected to the provisional government council for Barcelona. He was also elected to the national government as a representative for Barcelona in June 1931. His role as a leader of the Esquerra party was confirmed in February 1932.
During the Second Spanish Republic
A National Representative
In June 1933, Aiguader was elected again to represent Barcelona in the national government. This happened in the general elections of November 1933. After some political unrest in October 1934, he was arrested. Many other government members were also arrested. He was held on a ship called Argentina in Barcelona's port. His newspaper, Pamflet, was stopped. Even though he was a national representative, he was held until May 1935. He was then released on probation. He started publishing Pamflet again in February 1936.
Spanish Civil War Minister
Aiguader was elected to the national parliament again in February 1936. When the Spanish Civil War started in July 1936, he took action. He helped organize and run the Health Committee for the anti-fascist groups. He also created the first hospital in the war zone in Barcelona. He was part of the Health Council of War. From September to November 1936, he worked in the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Welfare. From November 1936 to May 1937, he was a minister without a specific department. He represented his party in the government. Then, from May 1937 to August 1938, he became the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare. He resigned in August 1938. He did this to support another minister, Manuel de Irujo. Aiguader felt that some government decisions were unfair to Catalonia. He also disagreed with new war courts.
Life in Exile
After Catalonia fell to the opposing side in early 1939, Aiguader went to France. He was in exile. In Paris, he helped organizations that supported refugees. He also wrote for Catalan newspapers and magazines. When Germany occupied France in June 1940, he had to hide in different French cities. Finally, in 1941, he was able to escape to Mexico. In Mexico, he continued to write for Catalan publications. He also edited several magazines. He wrote a book about Miquel Servet, which was published after his death. Jaume Aiguader died in Mexico City on May 30, 1943.
Jaume's younger brother, Artemi Aiguader, also became a politician. During the Civil War, he was the interior minister for the Catalan government.
Sources
See also
In Spanish: Jaume Aiguadé Miró para niños
