Jordi Pujol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jordi Pujol
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Pujol during his presidency
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| 126th President of the Government of Catalonia | |
| In office 8 May 1980 – 20 December 2003 |
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| First Counselor | Artur Mas (2001-2003) |
| Preceded by | Josep Tarradellas |
| Succeeded by | Pasqual Maragall |
| Counselor without Portfolio | |
| In office 5 December 1977 – 24 April 1980 Serving with Antoni Gutiérrez Díaz, Joan Reventós, Carles Sentís and Josep Mª Triginer
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| President | Josep Tarradellas |
| Preceded by | New title |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
| Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the Province of Barcelona |
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| In office 10 April 1980 – 23 September 2003 |
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| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 1 July 1977 – 12 March 1980 |
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| Constituency | Barcelona |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 June 1930 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Political party | CiU (CDC) |
| Spouse(s) | Marta Ferrusola |
| Children | 7 children |
| Signature |  |
Jordi Pujol Soley (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈʒɔɾði puˈʒɔl i suˈlɛj], born 9 June 1930) is a Spanish politician from Catalonia who was the leader of the party Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) from 1974 to 2003, and President of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 1980 to 2003.
Early life
Pujol was born in Barcelona, studied at the German School of Barcelona and received a medical degree from the University of Barcelona. During his college years, he joined different activist groups that were seeking to rebuild the ideal Catalonia that the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship had undermined. Among these organizations were Grup Torras i Bages (where he met other activists such as Jaume Carner or Joan Reventós), Comissió Abat Oliva, Grup Pere Figuera or Cofradia de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat de Virtèlia.
In 1960, in the course of an homage to Catalan poet Joan Maragall, held in Palau de la Música Catalana, part of the audience sang the Cant de la Senyera (The Song of the Flag in English) despite being previously prohibited by the Spanish authorities. Pujol was among those who organized this protest, and he was captured and detained for his protests against the regime of Francisco Franco.
Invention of Neobacitrin ointment
As a physician, Pujol was inventor of the antibiotic ointment Neobacitrin while working in the family-run laboratory Fides Cuatrecasas. The ointment went on to achieve great success and is still used today.
Pujol and Catalan nationalism
During the last decades of the Franco regime and his 23 years as President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pujol leant towards the majority tendency in Catalan nationalism, which, instead of seeking a fully independent republic, intended to work towards a federalized Spain that would, according to Pujol, recognize Catalonia "as a country, as a collective with its own personality and differences," and a "guarantee that her own identity be respected". With the conservative People's Party opposing the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, however, as well as the recognition for the language in the east of Aragon, Pujol has stated that, at least shortly before the Spanish transition to democracy, "there is more aggression towards Catalonia than ever", and that Catalans can "no longer hope for anything from the Spanish state".
A lifelong federalist, Pujol has recently become very disenfranchised by the Spanish political arena. He also has recently stated, regarding the recent surge of Catalan separatism that more people than ever want independence, "and they have the right to want it."
Personal life
He married Marta Ferrusola in Santa Maria de Montserrat in 1956 and the couple have seven children. During COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, on 15 January 2021 Pujol and his wife Marta tested positive for COVID-19 and, without serious symptoms, they were confined to their home in Barcelona.
