Diego Hidalgo y Durán

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Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886-1961) was a Spanish intellectual entrepreneur, and Minister of War during the Second Republic of Spain (1931-1936).

[edit] Biography

Born in Los Santos de Maimona (Extremadura) in a family of aristocratic ascent, Diego Hidalgo had to make a living early as his family had no lands and his father died when he was young. After studying law, he passed the state exam to become a notary, and started supporting his mother and four siblings.

Hidalgo was a Republican (even though he had rights to two title of Marquis[1], given up by his grandfather, Diego Hidalgo y Solís). One of the drafters of the Constitutions of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, and a member of the Partido Radical presided by Lerroux, Hidalgo became Minister of War in 1934. When serving as Minister, Hidalgo chose Francisco Franco (who was later going to be lead nationalist Spain during the civil war and be a dictator for nearly forty years) as one of his advisers. Hidalgo ordered Franco to stop the communist insurgency in 1934. Although Franco would later reveal to be very far ideologically from Hidalgo, he kept affection for him, and Hidalgo was one of the only people who disagreed with Franco whom the dictator would still dare listening to.

During the civil war (1936-1939), Diego Hidalgo had to flee from Spain, where he was threatened both by Francoists and Republicans. He spent most of the war in France where he married Gerda Schnur, the daughter of German industrialist David Schnur.

Back in Spain in 1938, Hidalgo continued his activities as a lawyer, notary, and writer. Notably, he saved 39 political prisoners from being executed, proving their innocence. Hidalgo was also a member of the International Tribunal of the Hague.

Diego Hidalgo y Durán was the father of the Spanish intellectual and philanthropist Diego Hidalgo Schnur.

[edit] Major writings by Diego Hidalgo y Durán

  • Un notario español en Rusia, 1929.
  • ¿Por qué fui lanzado del ministerio de la guerra? : diez meses de actuación ministerial, 1934.
  • Nueva York : impresiones de un español del siglo XIX que no sabe inglés, 1947.
  • José Antonio de Saravia : de estudiante extremeño a general de los ejércitos del Zar, 1936.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Alvarez Junco (J.), Espadas Burgos (M.), Lopez (E.), Muñoz Tinoco (C.), Diego Hidalgo: Memoria de un tiempo difícil Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1986.

Books on Diego Hidalgo y Durán

  • Alvarez Junco (J.), Espadas Burgos (M.), Lopez (E.), Muñoz Tinoco (C.), Diego Hidalgo: Memoria de un tiempo difícil Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1986.
  • Muñoz Tinoco, Concha. Diego Hidalgo : un notario republicano / Concha Muñoz Tinoco. . Badajoz : Departamento de Publicaciones, Diputación Provincial , 1986.

Also see any biography of Franco or a multitude of webpages