José Marina Vega (13 April 1850 – 30 January 1926) was a Spanish military officer and politician. Leader of the military operations in

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

during the 1909 Melilla Campaign, he later served as High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco (1913–1915) and as

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 ...

(1917 and 1918).

Biography

Born on 13 April 1850 in

Figueres Figueres (; ) is the capital city of Alt Empordà county, in the Girona region, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Dalí Theatre and Museum, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which att ...

province of Girona The Province of Girona ( ; ) is a Provinces of Spain, province in the northeastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest ...

, he is sometimes reported to be born in 1848, as his father (a captain of the Spanish Armed Forces) declared him to be 2 years older in his application to the military. He moved as child to

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

(Philippines). Returned to

Peninsular Spain Peninsular Spain is the part of the territory of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and several islets and crags off the coast of Morocco kno ...

, he joined the Battalion of Hunters Llerena as cadet in 1863. Alfonso XIII with General Marina

He fought in the

Third Carlist War The Third Carlist War (), which occurred from 1872 to 1876, was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier Second Carlist War, "Second" War (1847–1849) was smaller in scale and relative ...

. With a military career in

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, and promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1893, Marina was destined to places such as

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. He was promoted to the rank of brigader general in 1896. He was promoted to

Divisional general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

in July 1900. Following a brief spell as civil governor in Barcelona (1899), he was destined to

in 1905. At the helm of the military in the North African city, Marina Vega commanded the operations in the Melilla hinterland in retaliation to the attacks of Riffian tribesmen during the so-called Melilla War, including the Desastre del Barranco del Lobo in July 1909, that, taking place simultaneously with the Tragic Week riots in Barcelona, prompted a dismay in the Spanish

public opinion Public opinion, or popular opinion, is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. In the 21st century, public opinion is widely thought to be heavily ...

. He was promoted then to

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. Appointed as High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco in replacement of

Felipe Alfau Mendoza Felipe Alfau Mendoza ( – 1937) was a Spanish military officer. He served as the first Spanish High Commissioner in Morocco and as Captain-General of Catalonia. Biography Born in Santo Domingo, son to the Dominican ''trinitario'' Felipe Alf ...

, he served from 1913 to 1915. He served two times as Minister of War (1917 and 1918) in cabinets presided by

Eduardo Dato Eduardo Dato e Iradier (12 August 1856 – 8 March 1921) was a Spanish political leader during the Spanish Restoration period. He served three times as Spanish prime minister: from 27 October 1913 to 9 December 1915, from 11 June 1917 to 3 No ...

and

Antonio Maura Antonio Maura Montaner (2 May 1853 – 13 December 1925) was Prime Minister of Spain on five separate occasions. Early life Maura was born in Palma de Mallorca, Palma, on the island of Mallorca, he was the seventh child in a family of t ...

. Appointed as senator for life in 1919, he died on 30 January 1926 in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

(Calle de Zurbano, 6).

References

; Citations ; Bibliography * * * * {{authority control Ministers of defence of Spain Spanish lieutenant generals 1850 births 1926 deaths Members of the Senate of Spain Civil governors of Barcelona Spanish military personnel of the Second Melillan campaign Spanish military personnel of the Third Carlist War (Governmental faction)