Telesforo de Monzón y Ortiz de Urruela (1 December 1904 in Bergara, Spain – 9 March 1981 in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, France) was a writer, politician and nationalist Basque leader. Monzón was an important leader of the

Basque Nationalist Party The Basque Nationalist Party ( , EAJ; , PNV; , PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been de ...

during the Second Republic and 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 ...

. After the end of the war, he was forced into exile for more than 40 years. After returning to the Basque region south of the Pyrenees, he became a major figure in the movement for Basque independence and was one of the founders of the coalition

Herri Batasuna Herri Batasuna (; ; HB) was a Far-left politics, far-left Basque nationalist coalition in Spain. It was founded in 1978 and defined itself as abertzale left, abertzale, left-wing, socialism, socialist, and supported the independence of the Basque ...

. At the 1979 General Election he was elected to the

Spanish Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has ...

representing Gipuzkoa Province,La Vanguardia, 3 March 1979, p13
/ref> the same district which he had represented from 1932 to 1936 during the

Spanish Second 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 King Alfonso XIII. It was dissol ...

. He served until March 1980 when he resigned from the parliament. In the 1980 Basque regional election he was elected to the Basque parliament. He died in March 1981 and was buried in his native Bergara.

References

Sources

* Sudupe, Pako 2011: ''50eko hamarkadako euskal literatura II. Kazetaritza eta saiakera'', Donostia, Utriusque Vasconiae. 1904 births 1981 deaths People from Bergara Basque writers Herri Batasuna politicians Members of the 1st Basque Parliament Members of the 1st Congress of Deputies (Spain) Members of the Congress of Deputies of the Second Spanish Republic Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in France {{BasqueCountry-politician-stub