Joaquín Ignacio Figueroa y Mendieta (22 April 1808 – 11 March 1899) was a Spanish politician and businessman.

Biography

Born in Llerena on 22 April 1808, the only son of Luis Figueroa y Casaus (an ''

afrancesado ''Afrancesado'' (, ; "Francophile" or "turned-French", lit. "Frenchified" or "French-alike") refers to the Spanish and Portuguese partisan of Enlightenment ideas, Liberalism or the French Revolution. In principle, ''afrancesados'' were upper-and ...

'' who moved to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

after May 1808 and made a considerable fortune investing in mining companies dedicated to

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

extraction in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

) and Luisa Mendieta. Ignacio would inherit his father's companies. He received an education in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and, after working for a time as the representative of the interests of his father in Spain, he settled in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

in 1845. In 1852, he married Ana de Torres, viscountess of Irueste, forming a union between an affluent bourgeois—him—and an aristocrat in economic hardship, so he got to enter aristocratic circles. He earned a seat at the

Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies ( es, link=no, Congreso de los Diputados, italic=unset) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Ma ...

for the first time in 1865, replacing the vacant seat left by

Manuel García Barzanallana Manuel García Barzanallana García-Frías (17 August 1817, Madrid - 29 January 1892, Madrid) was a Spanish politician and government official who served as Ministro de Hacienda y Administraciones Públicas (now known as the Ministro de Economía ...

in the district of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

. He renewed his seat during the reign of Isabella II in 1865 and 1867. He became senator for the first time in the 1867–1868 period. Durante the reign of

Amadeo I Amadeo ( it, Amedeo , sometimes latinized as Amadeus; full name: ''Amedeo Ferdinando Maria di Savoia''; 30 May 184518 January 1890) was an Italian prince who reigned as King of Spain from 1870 to 1873. The first and only King of Spain to come fro ...

, Figueroa was elected as deputy in representation of Puentedeume at the 1872 election. Following the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, he was elected member of the Congress in the first election that took place in the new regime in 1876, in representation of

; appointed as Senator he renounced to his deputy seat in 1877. He served at the Senate until 1899. He died in Madrid on 11 March 1899. He was the father of Francisca de Paula,

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, Álvaro (the Count of Romanones),

Gonzalo Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014 See also * Gonzalez (disambiguation) * Gonzales (disambiguation) * ...

and , spawning one of the most influential families in Spain during the Restoration period.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa Mendieta, Ignacio 1808 births 1899 deaths Members of the Senate of the Spanish Restoration Members of the Congress of Deputies of the reign of Isabella II Members of the Congress of Deputies of the Spanish Restoration