Josep Tomàs i Piera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josep Tomàs i Piera
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Labor, Health and Social Welfare | |
| In office 4 September 1936 – 4 November 1936 |
|
| Preceded by | Joan Lluhí |
| Succeeded by | Anastasio de Gracia (Labor and Planning) Federica Montseny (Health and Social Policy) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 August 1900 Barcelona, Spain |
| Died | 9 January 1976 (aged 75) Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Josep Tomàs i Piera (Spanish: José Tomás Piera, born August 6, 1900 – died January 9, 1976) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. He was born in Barcelona, Spain.
He became involved in politics and was elected to the Spanish parliament in 1933. He was part of the Republican Left of Catalonia political party. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), he briefly served as the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Welfare. This was in the first government led by Francisco Largo Caballero. After this, he became the Spanish consul in Montreal, Canada.
After the war, he lived in exile in Mexico. There, he became an important leader in the Catalan community.
Contents
Early Life and Political Beginnings (1900–1936)
Josep Tomàs i Piera was born in Barcelona on August 6, 1900. His parents were Josep Tomàs i Boix and Àngela Piera i Trias. He studied Law at the University of Barcelona and finished his degree in 1920.
He started his political journey as a member of the Casino Regionalista de la Bordeta. He worked there as a librarian. In 1921, he married Rosa Pons i Millet, and they had four children together.
Tomàs was a member of a political party called Republican Action of Catalonia (Acció Republicana de Catalunya, ARC). This party was formed by left-wing members who left another group. This happened during the time when Miguel Primo de Rivera was a dictator in Spain (1923–1930).
In 1930, he represented the ARC in the Revolutionary Committee of Catalonia. This committee brought together different political groups that were against the dictatorship. In 1931, he helped combine the ARC with another party. This led to the creation of the Catalan Republican Party (Partit Catalanista Republicà, PCR). He ran in the local elections in Barcelona in April 1931 but did not win.
The Second Spanish Republic: Before the War (1931–1936)
When the Second Spanish Republic was declared, the PCR party became fully organized. In May 1931, Tomàs joined the PCR's main leadership group. He stayed in this role until the end of 1932. He tried to get elected to the Constituent Assembly in June 1931 but was not successful. He also ran for the Parliament of Catalonia in November 1932 but did not win a seat.
In 1932, he helped start the Executive Committee for Catalanization. This group worked to make sure that advertisements and shop signs were in the Catalan language.
In 1933, Tomàs and other important Catalan leaders joined the Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC). Also in 1933, he founded and became president of Editorial Llibertat. This company owned several important newspapers and magazines. He also joined the board of Ràdio Barcelona. He helped study how radio could be used to spread culture in Catalonia.
Tomàs was elected to the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament) on November 19, 1933. He represented the province of Barcelona as a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia.
From December 1933 to June 1934, Tomàs was very active in parliament. He was part of the opposition to the right-wing government. He was a secretary for his political group and served on important committees. In June 1934, he and other politicians left the parliament in protest. This was because of a ruling against a law that had been approved by the Parliament of Catalonia.
He was involved in the protests during the Asturian miners' strike of 1934 in October 1934. Because of this, he had to go into exile in France. He could not return to Spain until the Left Front won the elections in February 1936.
Tomàs was re-elected to parliament on February 16, 1936, again representing Barcelona. Before the Civil War started, he was one of the leaders of his political group in parliament. He supported a plan for self-government for the Basque region. He also represented his party in the main committee of the Popular Front. From May to September 1936, he was an undersecretary for Health and Welfare.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
Josep Tomàs i Piera was appointed Minister of Labor, Health and Social Welfare. This was in the first government of Francisco Largo Caballero, from September to November 1936. During his time as minister, he made some important changes. He changed the name "Beneficència" (Charity) to "Assistència Social" (Social Assistance). He also updated health laws to fit the needs of wartime.
Tomàs was also the chairman of the board for the ERC newspaper Llibertat (Liberty). After leaving his minister role in December 1936, he became secretary of the Cortes. In February 1937, he was elected as a vice-president of the Congress of Deputies. A few months later, he resigned from this position. He then became the Spanish Republic's consul in Montreal, Canada. In September 1938, Tomàs returned to Catalonia. He became Secretary in the Ministry of State, which was then located in Barcelona.
Life in Exile (1939–1976)
After the Spanish Civil War ended, Tomàs went into exile. First, he went to France. Soon after, he traveled by ship to New York City. From there, he went to Mexico City, where he started a business. He helped the Orfeó Català de Mèxic (Catalan Orpheus of Mexico), a cultural group. He also became president of the Catalan Community of Mexico.
He was part of a group called Junta de Auxilio a los Republicanos Españoles (JARE). This group helped Spanish people who were in exile. He served as its secretary in Mexico. In 1941, Tomàs created the Catalan Community of Mexico (Comunitat Catalana de Mèxic). He did this with the help of his friends Ferran Zulueta and Ferran Llardent.
In December 1941, Tomàs and other members of his political group in Mexico asked for the Spanish parliament in exile to continue its work in Mexico. This was because it was impossible to do so in Europe due to the war. He participated in this Spanish parliament in exile. In 1945, he helped create and lead a group of Catalan, Basque, and Galician politicians who supported federalism. He also led the committee that looked at the plan for self-government for Galicia.
In 1949, Tomàs moved to Guadalajara, Mexico. He taught at the Autonomous University and worked as an administrator. Sadly, he began to lose his eyesight gradually. In 1953, he took part in the First National Catalan Conference. He passed away in Guadalajara on January 9, 1976, at the age of 75.
Sources
- "Josep Tomàs i Piera" (in ca). Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. http://www.enciclopedia.cat/EC-GEC-0066368.xml.
See also
In Spanish: José Tomás Piera para niños
