José Canalejas y Méndez

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For other people with similar names, see José Canalejas (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Canalejas and the second or maternal family name is Méndez.
The Most Excellent
José Canalejas
Prime Minister of Spain
In office
9 February 1910 – 12 November 1912
MonarchAlfonso XIII
DeputyManuel García Prieto
Preceded bySegismundo Moret y Prendergast
Succeeded byÁlvaro Figueroa, Count Romanones
President of the Congress of Deputies
In office
19 January 1906 – 30 March 1907
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Preceded byAntonio Aguilar y Correa
Succeeded byEduardo Dato
Minister of Development of Spain
In office
12 June – 30 November 1888
MonarchAlfonso XIII
RegentMaria Christina of Austria
Prime MinisterPráxedes Mateo Sagasta
Preceded byCarlos Navarro Rodrigo
Succeeded byJosé Álvarez de Toledo y Acuña
Minister of Grace and Justice of Spain
In office
11 December 1888 – 21 January 1890
MonarchAlfonso XIII
RegentMaria Christina of Austria
Prime MinisterPráxedes Mateo Sagasta
Preceded byManuel Alonso Martínez
Succeeded byJoaquín López Puigcerver
In office
29 June 1911 – 12 March 1912
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byAntonio Barroso Castillo
Succeeded byTrinitario Ruiz Valarino
Minister of Finance of Spain
In office
17 December 1894 – 23 March 1895
MonarchAlfonso XIII
RegentMaria Christina of Austria
Prime MinisterPráxedes Mateo Sagasta
Preceded byAmós Salvador Rodrigáñez
Succeeded byJuan Navarro Reverter
Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Public Works of Spain
In office
19 March – 31 May 1902
MonarchAlfonso XIII
RegentMaria Christina of Austria [1]
Prime MinisterPráxedes Mateo Sagasta
Preceded byMiguel Villanueva y Gómez
Succeeded byFélix Suárez Inclán
Personal details
Born(1854-07-31)31 July 1854
Ferrol, Spain
Died12 November 1912(1912-11-12) (aged 58)
Madrid, Spain
Manner of deathAssassination by gunshot
Resting placePantheon of Illustrious Men
PartyLiberal Party
Signature
Tomb of José Canalejas in the Panteón de Hombres Ilustres, Madrid

José Canalejas y Méndez (31 July 1854 – 12 November 1912) was a Spanish politician, born in Ferrol, who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1910 until his assassination in 1912.

Early life

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Son of a railway engineer, politician and editor of the newspaper El Eco Ferrolano José Canalejas y Casas and of María del Amparo Méndez Romero. He moved with his family to Madrid, and in October 1867 he enrolled in the Instituto San Isidro, "because at that time the incorporated schools could not teach the last two years of the six which made up the baccalaureate ».[2] Already at the Central University of Madrid, he obtained the degrees of Law in 1871 and Philosophy in 1872, and the degree of doctor in both faculties. In 1873 he was assistant professor, but failed in two chair examinations, so he left teaching.[citation needed] He joined the company of the Railways of Madrid to Ciudad Real and Badajoz, where he became secretary general and He defended the company as a lawyer in lawsuits with other Spanish railway companies.

Political career

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In 1881, Canalejas was elected deputy for Soria. Two years later, he was appointed under-secretary for the Prime Minister's department under Posada Herrera; he became minister of justice in 1888 and finance from 1894 to 1895. A brief spell as Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce from March to May 1902 ended after only two months, when he resigned as he regarded the Sagasta Ministry weak and "incapable of safeguarding the Sovereignty of the State in view of the encroachments of the Vatican".[3]

He served as President of the Congress of Deputies (the equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon office of parliamentary Speaker) from 1906 to 1907.

Canalejas Ministry

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In 1909, after the bloody confrontations of the "Tragic Week" in Barcelona, Antonio Maura resigned and Segismundo Moret was again appointed prime minister. Moret was forced to resign in February 1910 when he was replaced by Canalejas who became Prime Minister and chief of the Liberal party. Moret denounced the Canalejas Ministry as "a democratic flag being used to cover reactionary merchandise".[4]

The body of José Canalejas in the Puerta del Sol after being shot

While in office, Canalejas (with the support of his sovereign, Alfonso XIII) introduced several electoral reforms that aimed to win working-class support for moderately conservative policies; to curb the power of independent political bosses, quite common at the time, especially in rural areas; to weaken excesses of Catholic educational clericalism without threatening the Catholic Church as such; and to turn Spain into a true democracy. These policies successfully faced the social turmoil that radicals had been creating within Spain (and which had led, in 1909, to a brief but bloody unrest in Barcelona). During his government, Canalejas implemented several significant reforms. He abolished the system of consumos (indirect taxes), introduced compulsory military service to replace the previous draft lottery (quintas), restricted the establishment of new religious orders through the so-called “Ley del Candado” (Padlock Law), and promoted the creation of the Mancomunidad of Catalonia, a federation of Catalan provinces aimed at coordinating regional administration.[5]

Death

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On 12 November 1912, while Canalejas was window-shopping the literary novelties of the day from a bookstore in central Madrid, he was fatally shot by anarchist Manuel Pardiñas.

Legacy

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Canalejas believed in the possibility of a monarchy open to a thoroughgoing democratic policy both in economic and in civil and political matters. Salvador de Madariaga, the liberal historian, argued that the disasters Spain experienced during the 1930s could be traced to Canalejas' murder, given that this murder deprived King Alfonso of one of his few genuine statesmen.

References

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  1. ^ Until the majority age of Alfonso XIII on 17 May 1902
  2. ^ Francos Rodríguez, José (1918). "In the Institute of San Isidro". The life of Canalejas (in Spanish). Madrid: Tip. of the "Rev. de arch., bibl. and museums". p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. ^ [cited in The Times 30 May 1902 "Latest intelligence - Spain". The Times. No. 36781. London. 30 May 1902. p. 5.]
  4. ^ Professor J. C J. Metford: The Spanish Anarchist Movement, 1908-75, Mastermind Quiz Book, 1984
  5. ^ "Biografia de José Canalejas". www.biografiasyvidas.com. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
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