Pedro Gómez de la Serna (21 February 1806 – 12 December 1871) was a Spanish jurist and politician, and a leading force for the modernization of 19th-century Spanish law. After studies of civil and canon law at the

University of Alcalá The University of Alcalá ( es, Universidad de Alcalá) is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km (22 miles) northeast of Madrid in Spain and also the third-largest city of the region. It was founded in 1293 as a ...

, where he later also taught, Gómez de la Serna was employed in the judicial administration and was appointed provincial governor of Guadalajara in 1836. A follower of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

, he was appointed

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in 1843 as part of the last cabinet of the regency of Baldomero Espartero, whom he followed into exile to London. He returned to Spain in 1846 and again briefly served in government as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in 1854 under Salustiano Olózaga. From 1854 to 1856, he was the 7th Attorney General of Spain, and became president of the Supreme Court in 1869. He also served as rector of the University of Madrid and president of the '' Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación,'' and was a member of several other Royal Academies. On multiple occasions he was elected to 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 Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. It has 350 members elect ...

and the Senate of Spain. Gómez de la Serna was a noted scholar in the fields of legal theory and legal history. He wrote the prescribed university textbooks on the principles of law and on Roman law, and developed one of the first systematic overview of Spanish civil and criminal law, thereby helping to establish modern Spanish legal scholarship. He was also one of the leading drafters of the first Spanish code of civil procedure of 1855.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez de la Serna, Pedro Spanish jurists 1806 births 1871 deaths Progressive Party (Spain) politicians Government ministers of Spain Attorneys general of Spain Prosecutors general of Spain Civil governors of Guadalajara Presidents of the Supreme Court of Spain