Juan Tomás de Gandarias Durañona (8 March 1870 – 17 July 1940) was a Spanish businessman and politician. He founded some of the most important industrial, mining, and financial companies in Spain, such as ''
Altos Hornos de Vizcaya
Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, S.A. was a Spanish metallurgy manufacturing company. It was the largest company in Spain for much of the 20th century, employing 40,000 workers at its height. The business began in 1902 in Bilbao with the merger of thre ...
'', , ''Talleres de Guernica'', and many others; all of which seeded in
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
. He is thus widely regarded as the fundamental head behind the industrialization and industrial development of Biscay and the
Basque Country, being present in practically all sectors, and subsequently in the social identity of those regions from the 20th century onwards.
Even though iron mining was the basis of his industries, he did not hesitate to participate and invest in the new sectors that were beginning to develop in the country, such as
metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
,
banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
,
transportation
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
,
telecommunications
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...
, and
press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Publisher
* News media
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
Newspapers United States
* ''The Press'', a former name of ''The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, California
...
.
His influence was also noted in
energy
Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...
and a sector as important as
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
was also not immune to his reach. He participated in numerous boards of directors, presiding over companies such as ''La Basconia S.A.'', ''Talleres de Deusto'', ''Talleres de Guernica'', , ''Ferrocarril Amorebieta-Guernica-Pedernales'', ''Coto Teuler'', ''Mina del Morro'', and ''Cementos Pórtland Lemona'', and he was also vice president of ''Banco Urquijo Vascongado'' and ''Ferrocarril Bilbao-Portugalete''.
[
He founded the Ibérica Telecommunications Company, the basis of the current '']Telefónica
, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...
'', and was the owner of not only land and means of transportation, but also of the Bilbao newspaper ''El Nervión''. He also participated, among many others, on the boards of ''Argentifera de Córdoba'', ''Minas de Alcaracejos'', ''Duro Felguera'', ''Basauri S.A.'', ''Electra de Castilla'', and of the Basque Railways.[ As a shareholder he appeared, among others, in companies such as ''La Papelera Española'', ''Hispano Switzerland de Automobiles'', ''La Construccion Naval'', ''Ferrocarril de la Robla'', or banks such as ''Valencia'', ''Hipotecario'', and the ''Hispano Italiano'' Trust.][
He rejected noble titles, he was named the favorite son of Gernika-Lumo and there are streets named after him in ]Portugalete
Portugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.
The town has 45,294 inhabitants as of 2021 and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located ...
, Sestao
Sestao is a town and municipality of 27,296 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is in the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao and part of Bilbao's metropolitan area.
Se ...
, and Guernica
Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the municipality of Gernika-Lumo ...
.[
]
Early life
Juan Tomás Gandarias was born in the Biscayan town of Portugalete
Portugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.
The town has 45,294 inhabitants as of 2021 and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located ...
in the Basque Country on 8 March 1870, as the first-born son of Pedro Pascual Gandarias (1848–1901), an industrialist and businessman who had participated in and promoted the industrialization of Biscay, and of Victoria Durañona y Santa Coloma, daughter of Juan Durañona, from a family of wealthy iron mining owners.[ On the same day of the wedding of his parents, Juan Durañona established the creation of the Durañona y Gandarias company, the embryo of a great industrial and mining emporium that was inherited by their first child, Juan Tomás, who also had a ]marriage of convenience
A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. Cases whe ...
(the so-called policy of links), as he wed Cecilia Urquijo y Ussía, daughter of the Marquess of Urquijo, on 17 May 1900.[ Nine months later, on 14 February 1901, his father died, so he named his first child, who was born just two days later, after him.][
He and his wife had seven children, five sons and two daughters, including Pedro Pascual, Juan Manuel, and ]José
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...
.[ Like Gandarias, his four younger siblings, three sisters, and a brother, were also related to the Biscayan nobility and bourgeoisie, as did their children. For instance, his sister Casilda married José Joaquín Ampuero, belonging to a ]Durango
Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...
family related to the and numerous companies.[
As the firstborn of the family, the burden of inheriting the entire family empire had fallen on him, and thus, he did not neglect his education, being reviewed at all times by his father.] Gandarias obtained a degree and doctorate in Civil and Canon Law from the ''Universidad Central de Madrid'' and completed his training with financial and industrial studies.[ Upon the death of his father in 1901, he inherited the family business and dedicated his entire professional life to its management.][ The power of Gandarias' wealth comes obviously from the inheritance he received from his father, but that was only the first step because over the years he demonstrated, with his business, investment, and modernized union, the possibilities that he offered.][ For instance, even though the origin of the family fortune was iron mining, his businesses and companies covered all industrial and economic sectors as he did not hesitate to participate and invest in other sectors that were beginning to develop in the country.][
]
Professional career
Mining
Iron mining was the origin of the Gandarias industrial emporium. Iron mines exploded in Biscayan farms in Triano, Ollargan, Somorrostro
Somorrostro Beach is a beach in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located between the Hospital del Mar and Marina Street, in the far east area of the Barceloneta neighborhood, in the Ciutat Vella district. It is long and wide. The Somorrostro ...
, and Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
. In the mines of Baranbio in Álava
Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...
, he participated in companies such as ''Compañía Morro de Bilbao'', ''Coto Teuler'', and others. They had the mineral loading site in Olaveaga, in the Nervión
Nervión (; ) is a river that runs through the town of Bilbao, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay). Its lowermost course, downstream of its confluence with the Ibaizabal River, is known as the Estuary of Bilbao.
Geography
The riv ...
estuary. In the coal industry
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
, he was a shareholder in ''Hulleras de Sabero''. And in the lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
mines in Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to:
* Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain
* Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province
Córdoba or Cord ...
, he participated in companies such as ''Argentifera de Córdoba'', ''Anglo Vasca'', ''Alcaracejos'', and ''Almadenes''.
Gandarias was a promoter of business associations about mining, presiding over the Bilbao Mining Circle, a prominent member of the Biscayan League of Producers, and of the Spanish Mining Union, a representative of the Coastal Chambers of Commerce.[
]
Metallurgy
The steel industry was a sector that Gandarias took great care of as he dedicated his efforts to creating various companies dedicated to the transformation of metal, espeacilly in Guernica.[ On behalf of his father and the ''SA de Metalurgia y Construcciones Vizcaya'', he participated in the negotiations for the merger between ''Altos Hornos de Bilbao'' and ''Iberia''.][ Upon the death of his father in 1901, Gandarias took charge of the family businesses, and in the following year, in Bilbao, he participated in the founding of ''Altos Hornos de Vizcaya'', a Spanish ]metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
manufacturing company, which would ultimately be the pillar and the key piece on which he supported all of his businesses and empire, becoming the largest company in Spain for much of the 20th century, employing 40,000 workers at its height.[
The main company was ''Altos Hornos de Vizcaya'', but he also participated in ''Duro Felguera'', ''La Basauri'', and in three Spanish Societies of metallurgy: Metallic Constructions (which would later give way to ]CAF
CAF or caf may refer to:
Armed forces
*Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy
*Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force
*Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...
), Evaporation, and Rational Combustion.[
]
Banking
His business was also directed towards the banking sector, where Gandarias obtained relevant positions in several of them,[ holding responsibilities in the ''Banco de Crédito de la Unión Minera'', ''Banco Urquijo Vascongado'' (vice president), and ''Banco Urquijo'',][ such as that of a vocal on the board of directors of the latter in 1921 and 1935, with his oldest son Pedro Pascual following his footsteps by becoming a vocal himself in 1944 and 1959 before becoming a vice-president in 1974.
With the help of his brother-in-law and trusted man José Manuel de Arispe, the Marquis of Urquijo, he appeared on the boards of the ''Banca López Bru'' and of the .][ As a shareholder, he appeared in the International Credit Society and the ''Hispano Italiano'' Trust, as well as in the banks of ]Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, Asturiano, , Burgos, and , the latter being the depositary of his business.[
]
Chemistry
Gandarias was present in practically all sectors of industrialization, such as the chemical sector, for the explosives for its mines.[ He thus participated in the (which was later called ''Unión Explosivos Río Tinto SA'' and since 1989 ]Ercros
Ercros is a Spanish company in the chemical industry, headquartered in Barcelona. It is currently one of the leading chemical companies in Spain. Ercros is present in more than ninety countries.
History Origins and history
Ercros was born in 1989 ...
), a Galdakao
Galdakao is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country.
It is located in the Greater Bilbao, in the valley of the Ibaizabal river, near the Ganguren mountain range. It is surrounded by some summits such a ...
-based company established to manufacture explosives, becoming considered at the time one of the most important companies in Spain.
He also participated in ''Patentes Flamma Carbo S.A.'', , and the Spanish Coal Distillation Company.
Transport
In transport, his presence was felt both on land, with his participation in numerous railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
companies, on sea, and even in air transport as he promoted companies such as Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
airline company.[ As a shareholder, he appeared in companies such as ''Hispano Switzerland de Automobiles'', ''La Construccion Naval'', and ''Ferrocarril de la Robla''.][
In land transportation, his influence takes place mainly in the railway, being Vice President of the Bilbao to Portugalete Company and the Amorebieta-Guernica-Pedernales railway company.][ He also participated in the ''Ferrocarril de la Robla'' and on the railways of Vascongados, the base of what is now the Basque Railways.][ Besides railways, he also promoted ''Importadora de Neumáticos'', a tire Importer that is currently the ]Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey S. Firestone (18681938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, carriages, and other form ...
.[
In sea transportation, Gandarias participated in the Navigación Vasco Asturiana Company, in charge of transporting coal for Altos Hornos de Vizcaya.][ By air, he participated in the birth of the ]Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
airline company and of ''Hispano Aviación''.[
]
Energy, telecommunications, and press
Gandarias participated in ''Electra de Castilla'' and ''Hidroeléctrica Ibérica'', as well as the Popular Gas and Electricity Company. He also promoted companies such as ''Refinería de Petróleo de Gijón'', an oil refinery in Gijón
Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...
that later became Campsa.[
Gandarias founded the Ibérica Telecommunications Company, the basis of the current '']Telefónica
, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...
''.[
Gandarias was also the owner of the Bilbao newspaper ''El Nervión''.][
]
Others
In 1913, Gandarias began the industrialization of Guernica, whose mayor Isidoro de León was a man of his trust and manager of a railway he owned, to reach an agreement with the Eibar company Esperanza y Unceta
Astra Unceta y Cía was a Spanish weapons manufacturer founded on 17 July 1908, under the name Esperanza y Unceta by Juan Esperanza and Pedro Unceta.
Initially based in Eibar, the centre of the Basque arms industry, the company moved in 1913 to ...
, a weapons manufacturer, to move to Guernica. This company would be followed by many other companies dedicated to metal and cutlery
Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler.
While most cutlers ...
, such as the ''Los Pirineos'' dairy
A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...
industry, but also with ''Joyería y Platería de Guernica'' (jewelry
Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...
and silversmithing), ''Cerámica de Murueta
Murueta is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territori ...
'' (ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
), ''Española de Cementos Portland'', which later become ''Cementos Pórtland Lemona'' (cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
), and most importantly the ''Talleres de Guernica'' (Guernica workshops), which was dedicated to, among other things, the manufacturing of weapons, especially during the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.[ Such was the industrial development that the area acquired international relevance.][ He presided over companies such as ''La Basconia S.A.'' and ''Talleres de Deusto'', where Gandarias invested in their development, both technological and social.][
In 1919, Gandarias established the ''Sociedad Civil Viuda de Pedro Pascual de Ganderas e Hijos, S. C.'' (Widow Civil Society of Pedro Pascual de Ganderas and sons), as the parent entity of a Holding of companies and businesses belonging to the family.][ The numerous companies that made up the company were directed by him or by men he trusted, most notably his uncle, José Manuel de Arispe, founder of the Banco de Comercio and director of Banco Bilbao, and Francisco Pérez-Pons, a professor of General and Business Accounting at the School of Higher Commercial Studies of Bilbao.
Gandarias was the president of the National League of Producers, and in 1923, he was a founder of the Federation of National Industries.][ He also participated in the Asturian Industrial Society and ''S.A. Aurrerá''. He was also an elected member of the Commission for the Protection of National Production.][
]
Political career
However, all these investments in the various sectors of the Spanish economy required political support. From the beginning of his life as a businessman, Gandarias was elected deputy for Gernika-Lumo
Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lum ...
in 1896.[ He kept being elected for Gernika continuously until 1914 using dubious methods.][
Having a conservative ideology, Gandarias actively participated in politics, being a founding member of the Liberal Union group called "La Piña" (1897), a political union of conservative monarchists and Biscayan industrialists.][ He was also a founding member of the Conservative Party of Bilbao in 1909.][
On 11 May 1915, Gandarias was named Senator for Life by ]Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...
. The Certification of Oath took place on 16 May of the following year.[ He kept this title for eight years until 1923.]
In 1919, he was a founding member of the Monarchist Action League
The Monarchist Action League (, LAM) was a political party during the Spanish Restoration period, that existed between 1919 and 1931. It was founded in the Basque Country by supporters of Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: '' ...
, which was dissolved in 1931.[ This League was a political union that brought together all liberal monarchists, Maurists, conservatives, and independents from Biscay, such as Biscayan industrialists.][ During the ]dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
General Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictatorship over Spain began with a coup on 13 September 1923 and ended with his resignation on 28 January 1930. It took place during the wider reign of King Alfonso XIII. In establishing his dictatorship, ...
, he withdrew from politics as well as 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. ...
, except for the specific management he carried out with Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto Tuero (30 April 1883 – 11 February 1962) was a Spanish politician, a minister and one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic. Less radi ...
, with whom he maintained a friendship, to alleviate through public works and subsidies the industrial and employment crisis that took place between 1931 and 1933 in Biscay.
Sporting career
Gandarias owned yawl
A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put.
As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast ...
s with which he participated in regatta competitions on the Cantabrian coast.[ On one occasion, at the beginning of August 1920, he won a ]regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
in Santander, as the owner of ''Alai'' against ''Giralda V'', owned and skippered by Alfonso XIII.[
As for ]football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, he was at some point named honorary vice president of the Arenas Club de Getxo
Arenas Club de Getxo is a Spanish football club based in the town of Getxo, near Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1909, it currently plays in , holding home games at Campo Municipal de Gobela, with a 2,000-se ...
, most likely thanks to the influence of his son José, who was the club's president at the time.[ All of his three oldest children, Pedro, Juan Manuel, and José, played football for the youth teams of Madrid FC, but only the latter made it to the first team, doing it so in a ]friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
in 1916, when he was still a child of 12.[
]
Later life
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 ...
, Gandarias was twice arrested in Biscay, first on 19 July 1936 in Portugalete, being released just a few days later, and later on 23 August of the same year in Arrazua,[ being transferred to neighboring Guernica where he was taken to walking through the streets of the town guarded by armed militiamen before being then transferred to Bilbao and released the next day, less than 24 hours after his arrest. Gandarias was able to pay the ]bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...
/ransom
Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom.
When ransom means "payment", the word ...
on both occasions thanks to the efforts of Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto Tuero (30 April 1883 – 11 February 1962) was a Spanish politician, a minister and one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic. Less radi ...
.[ He was subsequently exiled to , France, where he lived until the end of the war in 1939.][
]
Death
Gandarias died at his home on the Churruca de Portugalete Pier on 17 July 1940, at the age of 70.[ In his obituary, the only title that appeared was that of ''Congregant of Nuestra Señora del Carmen'' ( Congregant of Our Lady of Carmen).
]
Legacy
Gandarias' economic, industrial, and political power is a clear example of the Biscayan plutocrat. However, unlike his co-religionists, the so-called "steel nobles", he declined the honor of holding noble titles.[ Despite that, he was still named the favorite son of Gernika-Lumo and there are streets named after him in Portugalete, Sestao, and Guernica.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandarias, Juan Tomás
1870 births
1940 deaths
People from Portugalete
Spanish industrialists
Spanish businesspeople
Members of the Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the Senate of Spain
20th-century Spanish politicians