Torcuato Fernández-Miranda

Torcuato Fernández-Miranda (around 1975)

Torcuato Fernández-Miranda Hevia , Duque de Fernández-Miranda (born November 10, 1915 in Gijón , † June 19, 1980 in London ) was a Spanish legal scholar , politician and Prime Minister of Spain ( Presidente del Gobierno ) .

biography

Studies and professional career

Fernández-Miranda graduated from the University of Oviedo with a degree in law . Before Francisco Franco came to power , he was underground before joining the Franco army in 1936. After the Second World War , he was initially rector of the Collegio Mayor Valdéz Soles from 1947 to 1951 . From 1951 to 1968 he was Professor of Political Law at the University of Oviedo, of which he was also Rector from 1954 to 1956. In 1968 he was appointed professor of political law at the Complutense University of Madrid .

In addition to his work as a university lecturer , he also worked for several years in the Ministry of Labor. First he was general director for adult education from 1954 to 1956, then general director for university education and finally from 1963 to 1965 general director for social support.

Rise to prime minister under Franco

He began his political career in 1966 when he was appointed Secretary for Culture and Education of the Movimiento Nacional. From October 29, 1969 to January 3, 1974, he was the successor to José Solis Ruiz General Secretary with the rank of minister of the Movimiento Nacional , the unity party that emerged from the Falange , during the Franco regime . The previous final years of Franco’s government were marked by the growth of social conflicts, which the government countered with repression. At the same time, many politicians saw the difficulties after the demise of Franco and the uncertain succession plan growing. General Franco had great confidence in Fernández-Miranda and entrusted him with the political training of Prince Juan Carlos after Franco appointed him in 1969 as the official successor to the post of head of state with the title of king.

On June 8, 1973 he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco . After the assassination of the admiral, he was appointed Prime Minister of Spain ( Presidente de Gobierno ) of a transitional government on December 20, 1973 . Although he was regarded as one of the most promising candidates to succeed Carrero Blancos, the election for the office of Prime Minister fell on December 31, 1973, despite the slight criticism of the incompetence due to the murder of Carrero Blancos, to the previous interior minister and former long-standing minister Mayor of Madrid , Carlos Arias Navarro . In particular, he had the confidence of Franco's wife, Carmen Polo y Martínez-Valdés , and his son-in-law Cristóbal Martínez Bordiu .

President of Parliament under King Juan Carlos

After Franco's death on November 20 and the coronation of Juan Carlos I as king on November 22, 1975, he was appointed President of Parliament ( Cortes Españolas ) on December 2, 1975, succeeding Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel . As such, he also took over the office of President of the Privy Council and, as such, became one of the young king's key advisers in the transformation of post- Franquism . In particular, he saw the need for democratic changes and their constitutional achievement. He was convinced of the idea of establishing a two-party system with a Conservative Party and a more Liberal Party , which could then replace the historic Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) headed by Rodolfo Llopis . However, this idea was not realized, but rather the newly formed PSOE assumed a leading role among its young politicians around Felipe González , Alfonso Guerra , Javier Solana and Enrique Múgica Herzog .

On June 15, 1977 he resigned from his post as President of the Cortes before the general parliamentary election; he was succeeded by Fernando Álvarez de Miranda . After his resignation, he was appointed by the king to be a senator ( Senador ) of the constituent parliament until January 2, 1979. He was also of King Juan Carlos to the Duke ( Duque knighted) Fernández-Miranda (the hereditary title passed after his death to his son Enrique Fernández-Miranda y Lozana over) and was also Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Orden del Toison de Oro) .

Publications

• El pecado como concepto fundamental en el problema justificativo del Derecho y el Estado. (El pensamiento agustiniano y el problema deontológico del Derecho) , Madrid 1943
• La justificación del Estado , Madrid 1946 ( Memento of January 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (The justification of the state)
• El hombre y la sociedad , 1961
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  CAMUS, Albert. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 904-907. ( Albert Camus and the testimony of Christians )
• El problema político (The political problem)
• Estado y constitución (State and Constitution)

Web links

• Biography (spanish)
• Biography (spanish)
• Biography in rulers.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ General Secretaries of the Movimiento Nacional ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ The Admiral Steers to Starboard , article in TIME magazine of June 25, 1973
3. ↑ The Senators of the Constituent Parliament ( Memento from September 13, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
4. ↑ El Toisón, una orden sin fronteras , article in El País of June 2, 1977

predecessor	Office	successor
Luis Carrero Blanco	Prime Minister of Spain 1973	Carlos Arias Navarro