Torcuato Fernández-Miranda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Most Excellent
The Duke of Fernández-Miranda
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Torcuato Fernández-Miranda in 1975
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| President of the Cortes Españolas | |
| In office 6 December 1975 – 15 June 1977 |
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| Head of State | Francisco Franco Juan Carlos I |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Álvarez de Miranda |
| Acting Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 20 December 1973 – 31 December 1973 |
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| Head of State | Francisco Franco |
| Preceded by | Luis Carrero Blanco |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Arias Navarro |
| First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 9 June 1973 – 31 December 1973 |
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| Prime Minister | Luis Carrero Blanco |
| Preceded by | Luis Carrero Blanco |
| Succeeded by | José García Hernández |
| Minister-Secretary General of the Movimiento Nacional | |
| In office 29 October 1969 – 3 January 1974 |
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| Prime Minister | Francisco Franco Luis Carrero Blanco Carlos Arias Navarro |
| Preceded by | José Solís Ruiz |
| Succeeded by | José Utrera Molina |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 13 July 1977 – 2 January 1979 |
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| Appointed by | Juan Carlos I |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Torcuato Fernández-Miranda y Hevia
10 November 1915 Gijón, Asturias, Spain |
| Died | 19 June 1980 (aged 64) St Mary's Hospital, London, UK |
| Political party | FET y de las JONS (1939–1977) Union of the Democratic Centre (1977–1978) |
| Spouse |
María del Carmen Lozana Abeo
(m. 1946) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Colegio de la Inmaculada |
| Alma mater | University of Oviedo |
Torcuato Fernández-Miranda y Hevia (born November 10, 1915 – died June 19, 1980) was an important Spanish lawyer and politician. He played key roles during the time of Francisco Franco's rule in Spain and later helped Spain become a democracy.
Fernández-Miranda was born in Gijón, a city on Spain's north coast, in 1915. He passed away in 1980 from a heart attack while traveling in London.
Contents
Life Under Franco's Rule
By the time he was 30, Fernández-Miranda had already served as a lieutenant in the Spanish Civil War. He also began a promising career as a law professor. He became a professor at the University of Oviedo, where he later served as its head, called a rector, from 1951 to 1953. However, his biggest impact would be in public service.
Teaching Prince Juan Carlos
In the mid-1950s, Franco chose him to be the government's Director-General of University Education. In 1960, he received an even more important job: Fernández-Miranda was asked to teach Prince Juan Carlos about politics. Franco had chosen Juan Carlos to become the next King of Spain after his own death. Juan Carlos had spent years in military training. He later said that Fernández-Miranda was the first teacher who taught him to think for himself.
Political Roles in the Franco Era
In the last years of the Francoist State, Fernández-Miranda also held important political positions. He was a high-ranking member of the Movimiento Nacional (National Movement). This was the only legal political party during Franco's rule. In December 1973, he served as the temporary Presidente del Gobierno (which means prime minister) for a few weeks. This happened after the previous prime minister, Luis Carrero Blanco, was assassinated. Fernández-Miranda had been Carrero Blanco's main deputy. Even though he was a top choice to become the next prime minister, the job went to Carlos Arias Navarro.
Leading Spain to Democracy
Soon after Franco died in November 1975, Juan Carlos became king. The king kept Arias Navarro as prime minister. But, to honor his political teacher, King Juan Carlos named Fernández-Miranda the speaker of the Cortes (Spain's parliament) and president of the Consejo del Reino (Council of the Kingdom). In these roles, Fernández-Miranda helped the king move Spain towards becoming a democracy.
Building a New Political System
Fernández-Miranda wanted to create a political system with two main parties. He imagined one party being conservative and the other being liberal. He suggested allowing the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) to become a legal party again. This party was left-leaning but not communist, and he thought it would be good for the liberal role.
When Arias Navarro resigned in 1976, Spain was still using Franco's old laws. As head of the Council of the Kingdom, it was Fernández-Miranda's job to suggest three names to the king for a new political leader. He included Adolfo Suárez on his list, even though Suárez was not very experienced. Suárez was chosen, and he quickly called for a new law to reform politics. This would lead to democratic elections, which would be Spain's first in 40 years.
Writing the Political Reform Act
The law professor Fernández-Miranda was still the speaker of the Cortes. He was the main person who wrote Suárez's Ley para la Reforma Política (Political Reform Act). This important law was approved by the government in September 1976. The Cortes approved it in November 1976. Finally, the people of Spain voted to approve it in a special vote on December 15, 1976.
Spain's Democratic Era
Even though he played a big part in Spain becoming a democracy, Fernández-Miranda remained a political conservative. He disagreed with some of Suárez's changes. These included making the Communist Party of Spain legal and allowing more power to the different regions of Spain (decentralization). Because of these disagreements, he resigned from the Cortes before the first democratic election on June 15, 1977.
After the election, the king appointed him to the Spanish Senate. This became the upper house of the new two-house parliament, called the Cortes. He served there for one term until January 2, 1979. On May 31, 1977, he was given the special title of 1st Duke of Fernández-Miranda and a Grandee of Spain. He also became the 1,181st Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Family Life
Torcuato Fernández-Miranda married María del Carmen Lozana Abeo in Gijón on April 24, 1946. They had two children:
- Enrique Fernández-Miranda y Lozana (born September 12, 1949, in Gijón). He became the 2nd Duke of Fernández-Miranda and a Grandee of Spain in 1982. He married María de los Reyes de Marcos y Sánchez in 1975. They have two children:
- Torcuato Enrique Fernández-Miranda y de Marcos (born February 26, 1983)
- Alvaro Manuel Fernández-Miranda y de Marcos (born August 23, 1985)
- Fernando Fernández-Miranda y Lozana (born January 20, 1953, in Gijón). He married Ana Allendesalazar y Ruíz de Arana. They have two children:
- Javier Fernández-Miranda y Allendesalazar
- Clara Fernández-Miranda y Allendesalazar
See also
In Spanish: Torcuato Fernández-Miranda para niños
