Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Most Excellent
The Marquess of Ría de Ribadeo
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| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 25 February 1981 – 1 December 1982 |
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| Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
| Deputy | Rodolfo Martín Villa Juan Antonio García Díez |
| Preceded by | Adolfo Suárez |
| Succeeded by | Felipe González |
| Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 9 September 1980 – 25 February 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Fernando Abril Martorell |
| Succeeded by | Juan Antonio García Díez |
| Minister of Economy | |
| In office 9 September 1980 – 25 February 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Fernando Abril Martorell |
| Succeeded by | José Luis Leal Maldonado |
| Minister for Relations with the European Communities | |
| In office 25 February 1978 – 9 September 1980 |
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| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Eduard Punset |
| Minister of Public Works | |
| In office 4 July 1976 – April 1977 |
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| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Antonio Valdés |
| Succeeded by | Luis Ortiz González |
| Minister of Trade | |
| In office 13 December 1975 – 6 July 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Carlos Arias Navarro |
| Preceded by | José Luis Cerón Ayuso |
| Succeeded by | José Lladó |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 22 July 1977 – 31 August 1982 |
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| Constituency | Madrid |
| In office 28 July 1983 – 23 April 1986 |
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| Constituency | Madrid |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leopoldo Ramón Pedro Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo
14 April 1926 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 3 May 2008 (aged 82) Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain |
| Resting place | Ribadeo Cemetery, Galicia, Spain |
| Political party | Union of the Democratic Centre (1977–1983) |
| Spouse | María del Pilar Ibáñez-Martín Mellado |
| Children | Leopoldo (b. 1957) Juan (b. 1958) María del Pilar (b. 1959) Pedro (b. 1960) Víctor María (b. 1961) José María (b. 1964) Andrés (b. 1965) Pablo (b. 1965) |
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Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (born April 14, 1926, died May 3, 2008) was an important Spanish politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1981 to 1982. He was also known as the 1st Marquess of Ría de Ribadeo.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo was born in Madrid, Spain, on April 14, 1926. He came from a well-known family involved in politics. His uncle, José Calvo Sotelo, was a finance minister whose death was a key event before the Spanish Civil War.
Leopoldo studied to become a civil engineer at the School of Civil Engineers of Madrid. He worked with chemistry in industry. From 1967 to 1968, he was the president of Renfe, which is Spain's national train network.
In 1971, Calvo-Sotelo became a representative in Franco's Cortes (a type of parliament). He represented chemical industry leaders. He believed in a monarchy (a country ruled by a king or queen). He also helped create a group of politicians who worked to bring democracy to Spain in a peaceful way.
Political Journey
In December 1975, Calvo-Sotelo became the Minister of Commerce. He wanted Spain to become a true democracy, not just make small changes. When Adolfo Suárez became Prime Minister in 1976, Calvo-Sotelo stayed in the government.
He helped bring together several political groups to form one big party called the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). This party won elections in 1977 and 1979. Calvo-Sotelo was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Madrid.
Becoming Prime Minister
From 1978 to 1980, Calvo-Sotelo was the Minister for Relations with the European Economic Community. Then, he became the Second Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of economic matters.
After Prime Minister Suárez resigned in January 1981, Calvo-Sotelo was set to become the new Prime Minister on February 23. He strongly supported Spain joining NATO (a military alliance) quickly.
However, on that day, a group tried to take over the government in a coup attempt. After the coup failed, Calvo-Sotelo was officially confirmed as Prime Minister on February 25, 1981. He won with a majority vote from the Congress of Deputies.
During his time as Prime Minister, the UCD party began to split into different groups. This made it hard for the UCD to get enough support in parliament. Because of this, new elections were called. In the 1982 election, the UCD lost many seats. Calvo-Sotelo served as Prime Minister until December 1, 1982. Felipe González then took over as Prime Minister.
Later Years and Legacy
In 2002, King Juan Carlos of Spain honored Calvo-Sotelo for his service. He was given the special title of Marqués de la Ría de Ribadeo (Marquess of Ría de Ribadeo). This title also came with the important rank of Grande de España (Grandee of Spain).
Calvo-Sotelo was also a member of the Club of Madrid, which is a group of former democratic presidents and prime ministers. He was also part of the Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering.
He passed away peacefully at his home in Pozuelo de Alarcón on May 3, 2008, at the age of 82.
Family Life
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo was married to María del Pilar Ibáñez-Martín y Mellado. They had eight children:
- Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1957)
- Juan Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1958)
- María del Pilar Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1959)
- Pedro Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1960)
- Víctor Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1961)
- José María Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1964)
- Andrés Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1965)
- Pablo Calvo-Sotelo e Ibáñez-Martín (born 1965)
See also
In Spanish: Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo para niños
