Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero

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Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
Prime Minister of Spain
Monarch	Alfonso XIII of Spain
In office 1897–1900
Preceded by	Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Succeeded by	Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
In office 23 October 1900 – 6 March 1901
Preceded by	Francisco Silvela y de le Vielleuze
Succeeded by	Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Minister of Royal Spanish Navy
In office 1892–1893
Preceded by	Florencio Montojo Trillo
Succeeded by	José María Beránger Ruiz de Apodaca
Personal details
Born	September 1, 1832(1832-09-01) Manila, Spanish East Indies, Spanish Empire (now Philippines)
Died	May 30, 1915(1915-05-30) (aged 82) Madrid, Spain
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of Santo Tomas Bachelor of Laws

Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero (1832–1915) was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Spain following the restoration of the Spanish monarchy. Azcárraga was also the only Spanish Prime Minister of Filipino descent.^[1]

Early life

Azcárraga was born in 1832, in Manila, Philippines, to General Jose Azcárraga, a native of Vizcaya, Spain, a bookshop owner in Escolta, and to María Palmero, a Mestiza from Albay.^[2]

General José Azcárraga had many sons and daughters. Azcárraga was the second of the family's children. He studied law in the University of Santo Tomas in Manila then entered the Nautical School, where he was awarded the first prize in Mathematics^{[citation needed]}. He was sent to Spain by his father to enter the military academy and soon earned the rank of Captain in three years. Due to his services against the O'Donnell revolution in Spain, he was promoted to Major.

Marriage

At the age of 23, he was awarded the Cross of San Fernando, which is a pension grant. He was sent to various colonies of Spain, including Mexico, Cuba, and Santo Domingo. Afterwards, he returned to Cuba and married one of the daughters of the wealthy Fesser family, owner and founder of Banco y Casa de Seguros Fessner, who allegedly gave him £20,000 on the day of his marriage.^{[citation needed]}

Years as Prime Minister

In 1868, on the deposal of Isabella II as queen of Spain, he returned to Spain, hastened the restoration of the Bourbons, and became Lieutenant-General on the coronation of Alfonso XII as king. He was then elected to the Senate of Spain as a senator for life. He was the Minister of War under Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, whose assassination on August 8, 1897 effectively made him the interim Prime Minister of Spain until October 4 of that same year.

He went on to become Prime Minister of Spain twice again in two more separate incidents.

Retirement

On his retirement at the age of 72, he was given the Toison de Oro, or Golden Fleece, the highest possible distinction given to a person in Spain, for his tirelessly defending the Spanish Monarchy and for keeping Spain in relative peace.^{[citation needed]} Earlier, he received the Cross of San Fernando which already entitled him to a pension. Don Marcelo Azcárraga died in Cuba.

Ancestry

On his mother's side, Azcárraga descends from the Filipino mestizo Lizarraga family, heirs of the fallen Conde de Lizarraga. His maternal uncles' families, collectively known as the "Palmero brothers" or "Hermanos Palmero" were active in Philippine politics before World War II. He was also an uncle to the self-styled Conde de Albay, also known as Señor Pedro Govantes.

Tribute

The major road stretching from the districts of Tondo to San Miguel, both in the city of Manila was named after Azcárraga. However, it was changed after Filipino independence in 1945 to Claro M. Recto Avenue.

References