Landelino Lavilla Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Lavilla and the second or maternal family name is Alsina.

Quick facts for kids Landelino Lavilla
Lavilla in 1981

President of the Congress of Deputies
In office 6 April 1979 – 18 November 1982
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	Adolfo Suárez
Preceded by	Fernando Álvarez de Miranda
Succeeded by	Gregorio Peces-Barba
Minister of Justice
In office 5 July 1976 – 6 April 1979
Preceded by	Antonio Garrigues y Díaz-Cañabate
Succeeded by	Íñigo Cavero Lataillade
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 6 April 1979 – 18 November 1982
Constituency	Jaén
In office 18 November 1982 – 28 July 1983
Constituency	Madrid
Member of the Senate
In office 15 June 1977 – 6 April 1979
Constituency	Royal appointment

Personal details
Born	Landelino Lavilla Alsina (1934-08-06)6 August 1934 Lleida, Spain
Died	13 April 2020(2020-04-13) (aged 85) Madrid, Spain
Political party	Union of the Democratic Centre
Spouse	Juana Rubira
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Zaragoza Complutense University of Madrid

Landelino Lavilla Alsina (born 6 August 1934 – died 13 April 2020) was an important Spanish lawyer and politician. He served as the Minister of Justice from 1976 to 1979. He was also a member of parliament and a senator.

One of his most important roles was as the President of the Congress of Deputies (like the speaker of parliament). This was during a difficult time in Spain, especially during the 23-F coup attempt in 1981. A famous lawyer, Eduardo García de Enterría, called him a key person in Spain's move towards democracy.

Early Life and Education
Career and Political Work
Personal Life
Honors
See also

Early Life and Education

Landelino Lavilla was born in Lleida, Spain, on 6 August 1934. He studied law at two different universities. He earned his law degrees from the University of Zaragoza and the Complutense University of Madrid.

Career and Political Work

Lavilla started his career as a lawyer. In 1958, he joined the legal team for the Court of Auditors. A year later, in 1959, he also joined the State Council.

In 1974, he became part of a group called Tácitos. This group was made up of Catholic reformers. He also became a senior member of the Christian Democratic Party. From 1972, this group published articles in a Catholic newspaper called Ya. Before becoming a minister, he worked as an undersecretary of industry from 1974 to 1976. This was during the last government of Franco.

Serving as Minister of Justice

On 5 July 1976, Landelino Lavilla was chosen to be the Minister of Justice. He joined the first government led by Adolfo Suárez. He took over from Antonio Garrigues y Díaz-Cañabate.

Lavilla was part of the "Tacito group" within this government. Other members included Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo and Marcelino Oreja. He kept his job after the democratic elections in June 1977.

He helped write the 1977 Political Reform Act. This important law was approved by the parliament in November 1977. It created a legal way for all major political groups to become legal. This included communist parties and the PSOE. Lavilla's time as Justice Minister ended on 6 April 1979. Íñigo Cavero then became the new Justice Minister.

President of Congress and the 23-F Coup

In 1977, Lavilla became a senator and served until 1978. In 1979, he was elected to the Congress of Deputies. He represented the Jaén province.

From 1979 to 1982, he was the speaker of the Congress. This was during the first parliament after Spain's new constitution was approved. On 23 February 1981, a serious event happened. Members of the Civil Guard, led by Antonio Tejero, stormed into the parliament chamber. This was a failed attempt to take over the government, known as 23-F.

Lavilla bravely faced Tejero during the coup. He told him, "In this chamber, orders are given by the presidency. This is over. Evict." The colonel listened, and the members of parliament were able to return to their seats. During that night, Lavilla offered the parliament's leaders as hostages. He asked Tejero to free the government members and other lawmakers. However, Tejero refused this offer.

During Lavilla's time as speaker, many important things happened. The first debate to choose a new prime minister took place under the new Constitution. Many laws were approved, including 33 important "organic laws."

Before the 1982 general election, Lavilla led the Christian Democrat party. He was re-elected in 1982, this time representing the Madrid province. However, he left his seat in 1983. Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo took his place. In 1982, Lavilla also became the president of the Union of the Democratic Centre party. But because the party did not do well in the elections, he resigned in February 1983.

Later Life and Contributions

On 28 July 1983, Lavilla was made a permanent member of the Council of State. This was a special appointment by the Prime Minister. He held this important position until he passed away in 2020. In 1995, he became the chairman of the Council's first section.

In 1999, Lavilla became a permanent member of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation. He served as its president from 2003 to 2012. He was re-elected in 2008. He was also a member of the advisory committee for FRIDE, a research organization in Madrid.