León Herrera Esteban (1922–2003) was a Spanish military officer and politician. He served as the minister of information and tourism in the

first cabinet First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: * World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

Carlos Arias Navarro Carlos Arias Navarro, 1st Marquis of Arias-Navarro (11 December 1908 – 27 November 1989) was one of the best-known Spanish politicians during the Francoist regime. Arias Navarro was a moderate leader in the last phase of Francoism and the b ...

in the period 1974–1975.

Early life and education

Herrera was born in Jaén on 4 July 1922. Following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

he joined the Taxdir cavalry regiment with which he fought on various fronts. He graduated from the

University of Granada The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...

in 1942 receiving a degree in law.

Career

Herrera joined the Ministry of Air and then, the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and ...

in 1946. His political career began in 1962 when he was appointed director general in the Ministry of Information and Tourism which he held until 1969. In 1972 Herrera was appointed president of the European Conference of Posts and Telecommunications and was in office until 1974. Next he was named the undersecretary of the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

. He became the minister of information and tourism on 19 October 1974 following the resignation of Pío Cabanillas Gallas. It was Herrera who announced the death of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 19 ...

on 20 November 1975. Herrera's term as the minister of information and tourism ended on 12 December 1975 in a cabinet reshuffle, and he was replaced by Adolfo Martín Gamero in the post. Next Herrera was appointed government delegate to

Telefónica Telefónica, S.A. () is a Spanish Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It is List of telephone operating companies, one of the largest telephone operators and List of mobile network ...

company. In 1983 he was named general legal advisor to the Ministry of Defense. His other positions included the attorney to the Cortes for the province of Jaén, a member of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and a member of the Madrid Bar Association.

Personal life and death

Herrera died in Madrid on 24 September 2003. He was the recipient of the Grand Cross of Naval Merit and the Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera Esteban, Leon 20th-century Spanish lawyers 1922 births 2003 deaths Information and tourism ministers of Spain Government ministers during the Francoist dictatorship People from Jaén, Spain University of Granada alumni Military personnel of the Spanish Civil War