Santiago Alba y Bonifaz facts for kids
Santiago Alba y Bonifaz (born December 23, 1872, died April 8, 1949) was an important Spanish politician and lawyer. He held many big jobs in the Spanish government during the time of King Alfonso XIII. He was a minister for the Navy, Education, Interior (home affairs), Housing, and Foreign Affairs.
Santiago came from a middle-class family with good connections in politics. His mother, Obdulia Bonifaz, was related to a famous politician named Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla. His father, César Alba García Oyuelos, was a well-known lawyer in Valladolid.
Santiago grew up in Valladolid and studied at the university there. He earned a degree in law. While studying, he also started working for a newspaper called La Opinión as its main editor. Later, in 1893, he bought another newspaper, El Norte de Castilla, where he had also worked as a manager.
After Santiago's father passed away, his mother inherited a large property in a town called Noja in Cantabria. When Santiago later became the first Marquis of Albaicín, this property became known as the Palacio del Albaicín. In 1918, after a car accident, he spent some time there getting better.
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Beginning His Political Journey
Santiago Alba married Enriqueta Delibes in 1897. Soon after, he started his political career. In the 1901 elections, he joined the Unión Nacional party. He won a seat in the Cortes, which is like Spain's parliament, representing the Valladolid area.
He won his seat again in the 1903 elections, this time as a member of the Liberal Party. However, he gave up his seat to become a subsecretary for the President of the Council of Ministers. In the 1905 elections, he again gave up his seat to become the Governor of the Bank of Spain.
In elections held until 1936, he was elected as a deputy many more times. He represented different areas like Valladolid, Granada, or Zamora. From 1933 to 1936, he was the President of the Cortes, a very important leadership role in the parliament.
Santiago Alba's Government Roles
Santiago Alba held several important positions in the Spanish government. These roles allowed him to help shape Spain's future.
From November 30 to December 4, 1906, Santiago Alba served as the Minister of the Navy. This role meant he was in charge of Spain's naval forces and maritime affairs.
Minister of Education
He was the Minister of Public Education and Fine Arts two times.
- First, from March 12 to December 31, 1912, under José Canalejas.
- Second, from March 22 to October 10, 1918, under Antonio Maura.
In this role, he helped manage schools, universities, and cultural institutions.
Minister of the Interior
Santiago Alba also served as the Minister of the Interior twice. This job is about managing internal affairs, like public safety and local government.
- First, from December 31, 1912, to October 27, 1913.
- Second, from December 9 to October 30, 1916.
Both times, he served under the Count of Romanones.
Minister of Housing and Economy
From April 30, 1916, to June 11, 1917, he was the Minister of Housing. During this time, he was interested in ideas from a movement called Regeneracionismo, which aimed to improve Spain. He started two main programs:
- One program aimed to protect Spanish money by stopping foreign debt papers from being sold in Spain.
- The second program changed laws for people renting homes in Spain.
He also suggested 22 projects to the Cortes. These ideas were about making government and money systems better, changing tax laws, dealing with monopolies, and helping the economy grow. He even managed to get a huge government loan worth billions of Spanish pesetas.
During his second time as Minister of Housing (November 9 to December 5, 1918), he focused on problems with food supply and transportation. These issues were caused by the First World War. He suggested some changes for farming, but these ideas were not put into action.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
His last major government role was as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served from December 7, 1922, to September 15, 1923, in a new government led by García Prieto. In this role, he managed Spain's relationships with other countries.
Later Life and Exile
During the time when Miguel Primo de Rivera was a dictator in Spain, Santiago Alba went to live in France. He returned to Spain in 1930. After the fall of another leader, Dámaso Berenguer, Santiago Alba was asked to lead the government, but he said no.
When the Spanish Civil War started in 1936, he again left Spain. This time, he went to Portugal. He came back to Spain in 1945 but did not get involved in politics anymore. He passed away on April 8, 1949.
See also
In Spanish: Santiago Alba Bonifaz para niños
