Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886–1961) was a Spanish intellectual and politician, who was appointed minister of war during the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

(1931–1936).

Biography

Born in Los Santos de Maimona (

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

) in a family of aristocratic descent, 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 titles of Marquis, Alvarez Junco (J.), Espadas Burgos (M.), Lopez (E.), Muñoz Tinoco (C.), ''Diego Hidalgo: Memoria de un tiempo difícil'' Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1986. 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

Radical Republican Party The Radical Republican Party (), sometimes shortened to the Radical Party, was a Spanish Radical party in existence between 1908 and 1936. Beginning as a splinter from earlier Radical parties, it initially played a minor role in Spanish parlia ...

presided by Alejandro Lerroux, Hidalgo became

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in 1934. When serving as Minister, Hidalgo chose

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

(who was later going to be lead nationalist Spain during the civil war and be the

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

for nearly 40 years) as one of his advisers. Hidalgo ordered Franco to stop the asturian miners' strike of 1934. Although Franco would later reveal to be ideologically different from Hidalgo, he kept affection for him, and Hidalgo was one of the only people who could speak freely with Franco. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

(1936–1939), Diego Hidalgo had to flee from Spain, where he was threatened both by Nationalists 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 Republican political prisoners from being executed, proving their innocence. Hidalgo was also a member of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

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

Diego Hidalgo Schnur Diego Hidalgo Schnur (born 5 November 1942) is a Spanish philanthropist, intellectual and businessman. He is the son of Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886–1961), who was a prominent jurist, author, intellectual and Minister of War under the Second S ...

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. *', 1947. *''José Antonio de Saravia: de estudiante extremeño a general de los ejércitos del Zar'', 1936.

Notes

References

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. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hidalgo Y Duran, Diego 1886 births 1961 deaths People from Zafra-Río Bodión Radical Republican Party politicians Government ministers of Spain Members of the Congress of Deputies of the Second Spanish Republic Politicians from Extremadura 20th-century Spanish lawyers Exiled Spanish politicians Government ministers during the Second Spanish Republic