Adolfo Suárez

Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of

Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈðolfo
ˈswaɾeθ]; 25 September 1932 – 23 March
2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician.
Suárez was Spain's first democratically
elected Prime Minister since the Second
Spanish Republic and a key figure in the
country's transition to democracy after the
dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
 The Most Excellent
The Duke of Suárez

Prime Minister of Spain

In office
5 July 1976 – 26 February 1981

Monarch Juan Carlos I

Deputy Manuel Gutiérrez

Mellado
Preceded by Fernando de Santiago
y Díaz (ad interim)

Succeeded by Leopoldo Calvo

Sotelo

Minister-Secretary General of the Movimiento

Nacional

In office
12 December 1975 – 6 July 1976

President Carlos Arias Navarro

Preceded by José Solís

Succeeded by Ignacio García López

Director-General of the Spanish Radio and
Television Corporation

In office
14 May 1969 – 25 June 1973
Preceded by Jesús Aparicio-Bernal

Succeeded by Rafael Orbe

Civil Governor of the Province of Segovia
In office
31 May 1968 – 7 November 1969

Preceded by Juan Murillo de

Valdivia

Succeeded by Mariano Pérez-

Hickman

Member of the Congress of Deputies

In office
22 July 1977 – 26 October 1991

Constituency Madrid

Personal details
Born Adolfo Suárez
González
25 September 1932
Cebreros, Ávila, Spain

Died 23 March 2014

(aged 81)
Madrid, Spain

Resting place Cathedral of Ávila

Nationality Spanish

Political party CDS

Other political FET y de las JONS

affiliations (1958–1977)
Union of the
Democratic Centre
(1977–1982)
Democratic and
 Social Centre
(1982–1991)

Spouse(s) Amparo Illana

Elórtegui
(m. 1961; died 2001)

Children María Amparo (1963–

2004)
Adolfo (b. 1964)
Laura (b. 1966)
Sonsoles (b. 1967)
Francisco Javier (b.
1969)

Parents Hipólito Suárez

Guerra
 Herminia González
Alma mater Salamanca University
Prados
Occupation Jurist

Signature

When Spain was still an autocratic regime,

he was appointed Prime Minister by King
Juan Carlos in 1976, hoping that his
government could bring about democracy.
At the time of his appointment, he was not
a well-known figure, making many political
forces skeptical of his government.
However, he oversaw the end of the
Francoist Cortes, and the legalisation of all
political parties (including the Communist
Party, a particularly difficult move). He led
the Union of the Democratic Centre and
won the 1977 general election. In 1981, he
resigned and founded the party Centro
Democrático y Social (CDS), which was
elected to the Cortes numerous times. He
retired from politics in 1991 and from
public life in 2003, due to Alzheimer's
disease.

Early life
Adolfo Suárez was the eldest son of
Hipólito Suárez Guerra and Herminia
González Prados (Ávila, 1910 – 18 July
2006), and the brother of Hipólito, María
del Carmen (who is married to Aurelio
Delgado Martín), Ricardo and José
María.[1] He was born in Cebreros. He later
studied law at Salamanca University.

Political career
Suárez held several government posts
during the late Francoist State. He became
the Minister Secretary General of the
National Movement (Movimiento
Nacional), a body that served as the sole
political party in Spain for 38 years, a
period that extended beyond the death of
Franco in November 1975. At a rally just a
month before Franco's death, Suárez was
queried by the aging Caudillo on the
political future of Spain and told him
frankly that the Movement would not likely
long survive Franco and that
democratisation was inevitable.[2] Suárez
was appointed as the Prime Minister of
Spain by King Juan Carlos on 3 July 1976,
a move opposed by leftists and some
centrists given his Francoist history. As a
nationalist, he was chosen by the monarch
to lead the country towards a democratic,
parliamentary monarchy without annoying
the powerful conservative factions
(especially the military) in the nation.
Surprising many observers and political
opponents, Suárez introduced Political
Reform in 1976 as a first, decisive step in
the transition to democracy (La
Transición).

In 1977, Suárez led the Union of the

Democratic Centre (Unión de Centro
Democrático, UCD) to victory in Spain's first
free elections in 41 years, and became the
first democratically elected prime minister
of the post-Francoist Spain.

Suárez's centrist government instituted

democratic reforms, and his coalition won
the 1979 elections under the new
constitution. Less successful as a day-to-
day organiser than as a crisis manager, he
resigned as Prime Minister on 29 January
1981.[3] A month later, as parliament was
taking a vote to confirm Suárez's
replacement as Prime Minister Leopoldo
Calvo-Sotelo, parliament was disrupted by
the entrance of Lieutenant Colonel Tejero
and his attempted coup.[4] The 23-F coup
attempt ("El Tejerazo") shook the
government, but was defeated. In 1982,
Suárez founded the Democratic and Social
Centre (Centro Democrático y Social, CDS)
party, which never achieved the success of
UCD, though Suárez and its party were
important elements in the Liberal
International, joining it in 1988, leading to it
being renamed Liberal and Progressive
International, and Suárez became
President of the Liberal International in
1988.[5] He retired from active politics in
1991, for personal reasons.

Former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez in Buenos Aires,

1981.

In 1981, he was raised into the Spanish

nobility by King Juan Carlos of Spain and
given the hereditary title of "Duque de
Suárez" (Duke of Suárez), together with the
title Grande de España (English: Grandee
of Spain) following his resignation as
Prime Minister and in recognition of his
role in the transition to democracy. Suárez
was awarded the Príncipe de Asturias a la
Concordia in September 1996 for his role
in Spain's early democracy. On 8 June
2007, during the celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the first democratic
elections, King Juan Carlos appointed
Suárez the 1,193rd Knight of the Order of
the Golden Fleece.[6] He was also a
member of the Club de Madrid, an
independent organization (based in
Madrid) that is composed of more than 80
former democratic Prime Ministers and
Presidents. The group works to strengthen
democratic governance and leadership.[7]

Illness and death

Suarez's grave in the cloister of Ávila Cathedral

On 31 May 2005, Suárez's son, Adolfo

Suárez Illana, announced on Spanish
television that his father was suffering
from Alzheimer's disease. The
announcement followed speculation about
Suárez's health in the Spanish media. On
21 March 2014, his son announced that
his death from neurological deterioration
was imminent.[8] Suárez then died as a
result of a respiratory infection on 23
March 2014 in a clinic in Madrid.[9] Suarez
was given a state funeral and was buried
in the cloister of Ávila Cathedral.

Pope Francis shared his condolences,

saying: "In fraternal suffrage with you all, I
make fervent prayers to the Lord for the
eternal rest of this esteemed and feature
figure of the recent history of Spain."
On 26 March 2014, the Spanish
government decided to rename the
Madrid-Barajas airport to Adolfo Suárez
Madrid-Barajas in honour of his service to
the country.[10]

Family
This section does not cite any sources.
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Suárez married María del Amparo Illana

Elórtegui in 1961.[11] She died from cancer
on 17 May 2001. Their elder daughter,
María del Amparo ("Mariam") Suárez Illana
(1962–2004) was the mother of two
children, Alejandra Romero Suárez (born
1990), herself the current holder of her
grandfather's dukedom, and Fernando
Romero Suárez (born 1993).

The duke's middle daughter, Laura, was

born in 1966. Suarez' youngest daughter,
María Sonsoles Suárez Illana (born in
Madrid in 1967), became a TV news
anchor for Antena 3 and married José
María Martínez-Bordiú y Bassó de
Roviralta (a nephew of Cristóbal Martínez-
Bordiú, the son-in-law of Francisco
Franco); the couple is without issue.

Suárez's eldest son, Adolfo Suárez Illana,

was a politician, who now practises law
and is heavily involved with the world of
bullfighting and has two sons. Suárez had
two more children, his daughter Laura and
his son Francisco Javier; both remain
unmarried.

Honours

Decorations …

Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece

of Spain (1,193rd member, 8 June
2007).[12]
Collar of the Order of Charles III
(Posthumous, 24 March 2014).[13]
 Grand Cross of the Order of Charles
III (23 June 1978).[14]
Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the
Catholic (29 September 1973).[15]
Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
(18 July 1969).[16]
Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso
X, the Wise (1 April 1970).[17]
Commander's Cross (1 April
1967).[18]
Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit
(1 April 1972).[19]
Grand Cross of the Order of Cisneros
(18 July 1972).[20]
 Grand Cross of the Order of the Yoke
and the Arrows (4 July 1975).[21]
Grand Cross of the Military Merit with
White Decoration (14 September
1970).[22]
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
(Portugal) (20 April 1978).[23]
Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty
(Portugal) (22 February 1996).[23]

Awards …

Gold Medal of Segovia (17 November

1969).[24]
Gold Medal of Ávila (12 February 1981).
Received on 9 June 2005.[25]
Adopted Son of Ávila (12 February
1981). Received on 9 June 2005.[25]
Alfonso X the Wise International Prize in
Toledo (21 October 1994).[26]
Gold Medal of Madrid (30 November
1995). Received on 10 November
1998.[27][28]
Honorary Degree by the Complutense
University of Madrid (28 May 1996).[29]
Prince of Asturias Concord Award (13
September 1996).[30]
Coexistence Award of Ceuta (30 April
1999).[31][32]
Gold Medal of Castilla y León (22 March
1997).[33]
 Medal of Honor of Madrid (15 May
2011).[34]
Adopted Son of Madrid (Posthumous, 27
March 2014).[35]

Arms …
Coat of arms of Adolfo Suárez
Notes
He was created Grandee as Duke of Suárez in 1981.
Coronet
Coronet of Spanish Grandee.
Escutcheon
Or, two towers Argent, masoned Sable, surmounted by two
eagles volant and combatant Sable on a terrace in base Vert
charged with an Escallop Argent.[36]
Orders
Order of the Golden Fleece and Order of Charles III collars.
Other elements
An heraldic mantle used by the Spanish Grandee.
Symbolism
The arms of the Castilian branch of Suárez differenced by an
Escallop Argent, the traditional emblem of James, son of
Zebedee, commonly used in Galicia, because 1st Duke of
Suárez's paternal family had Galician origins.
Previous versions

Coat of arms bore as knight of the Order

of the Golden Fleece.

See also
 Puedo prometer y prometo
Politics of Spain
Prime Minister of Spain
Spanish transition to democracy

References
1. Adolfo Suárez González, 1. duque de
Suárez , Geneall.es, at Generall.net
2. Payne, S.G. The Franco Regime, 1936–
1975. Madison: University of
Wisconsin, 1987. p 616.
3. Preston, Paul, "Juan Carlos: Steering
Spain from Dictatorship to
Democracy", page 457. Harper
Perennial, 2005. ISBN 0-00-638693-8
4. Cercas, Javier, "The Anatomy of a
Moment". Bloomsbury, 2011.
ISBN 978-1-4088-0560-2.
5. Roberts, Geoffrey K.; Hogwood,
Patricia (2003), The Politics Today
companion to West European politics,
Manchester University Press, p. 137
. BOE 07-06-09 , Spanish official journal.
Retrieved 9 June 2007.
7. "Suárez, Adolfo" . World Leadership
Alliance. Archived from the original on
23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March
2014.
 . Cué, Francesco Manetto, Carlos E. (21
March 2014). "El hijo de Adolfo Suárez
sobre su padre: "El desenlace es
inminente" " . Retrieved 12 July 2017.
9. Fallece Adolfo Suárez, el presidente de
la Transición , El Mundo, 23 March
2014
10. "El aeropuerto de Madrid se llama
desde hoy Adolfo Suárez" . El Mundo
(in Spanish). 24 March 2014. Retrieved
12 July 2014.
11. "Fallece Amparo Illana, esposa de
Adolfo Suárez" . El País. 18 May 2001.
12. "Boletín Oficial del Estado 07-06-09,
Spanish Official Journal" (PDF).
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
13. "Boletín Oficial del Estado 14-03-24,
Spanish Official Journal" (PDF).
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
14. Boletín Oficial del Estado 78-06-23,
Spanish Official Journal (accessed on
23 December 2011)
15. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 73-
09-29, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
1 . Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 69-
07-18, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
17. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 71-
04-05, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
1 . Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 67-
04-01, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
19. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 72-
04-01, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 24 March 2014)
20. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 72-
07-18, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
21. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 75-
07-04, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
22. Spanish: Boletín Oficial del Estado 70-
09-15, Spanish Official Journal
(accessed on 23 December 2011)
23. "CIDADÃOS ESTRANGEIROS
AGRACIADOS COM ORDENS
PORTUGUESAS – Página Oficial das
Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" .
www.ordens.presidencia.pt. Retrieved
12 July 2017.
24. Medalla de Oro de la provincia de
Segovia concedida a su Alteza Real
Don Juan de Borbón y Battenberg
(1991). Segovia. Provincial Council of
Segovia. ISBN 84-86789-35-4.
25. Ávila, Diario de. "La "deuda histórica"
de Ávila a Suárez" . Retrieved 12 July
2017.
2 . País, Ediciones El (27 January 2017).
"Adolfo Suárez 1932 – 2014" .
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
27. "ABC (Madrid) – 12/11/1998, p. 71 –
ABC.es Hemeroteca" .
hemeroteca.abc.es. Retrieved 12 July
2017.
2 . "ABC (Madrid) – 01/12/1995, p. 12 –
ABC.es Hemeroteca" .
hemeroteca.abc.es. Retrieved 12 July
2017.
29. País, Ediciones El (27 January 2017).
"Adolfo Suárez 1932 – 2014" .
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
30. País, Ediciones El (14 September
1996). "Adolfo Suárez premio Príncipe
de Asturias por su aportación a la
"concordia democrática" " . Retrieved
12 July 2017.
31. "Con Adolfo Suárez se va el primer
galardonado por la Fundación Premio
Convivencia" . Retrieved 12 July 2017.
32. País, Ediciones El (30 April 1999).
"Suárez, González y Roca hablarán de
"España desde la Constitución" " .
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
33. "Adolfo Suárez, profeta en su tierra" .
www.leonoticias.com. Retrieved
12 July 2017.
34. Press, Europa (30 March 2011).
"Adolfo Suárez recibirá la Medalla de
Honor de Madrid y Aznar y González la
de oro" . Retrieved 12 July 2017.
35. Press, Europa (27 March 2014). "El
Pleno municipal designa a Adolfo
Suárez como Hijo Adoptivo" .
Retrieved 12 July 2017.
3 . (in Spanish) Adolfo Suárez, AMPA
Súarez , p. 5 . Retrieved 24 March
2014.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media
related to Adolfo Suárez.

Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)

Tribute to Adolfo Suárez: Guestbook
 Media offices

Preceded by Director
Succeeded by
Jesús General of
Rafael Orbe
Aparicio- RTVE
Cano
Bernal 1969–1973

Political offices

Preceded by Civil Governor Succeeded by

Juan of the Province Mariano
Murillo de of Segovia Pérez-
Valdivia 1968–1969 Hickman Rey

Preceded by Deputy Succeeded by

Antonio Secretary Antonio
José García General of the Chozas
Rodríguez- Movimiento Bermúdez
Acosta
 Nacional
1975

Minister-
Secretary
Succeeded by
Preceded by General of the
Ignacio
José Solís Movimiento
García López
Nacional
1975–1976

Preceded by
Fernando Prime Minister Succeeded by
de Santiago of Spain Leopoldo
y Díaz 1976–1981 Calvo-Sotelo
(acting)

Party political offices

Preceded by President of Succeeded by

Office the Union of Agustín
 created the Democratic Rodríguez
Centre Sahagún
1977–1981

President of
Preceded by the Democratic Succeeded by
Office and Social Rafael Calvo
created Centre Ortega
1982–1991

President of
Preceded by Succeeded by
the Liberal
Giovanni Otto Graf
International
Malagodi Lambsdorff
1989–1992

Spanish nobility

New Duke of Suárez Succeeded by

creation 1981–2014 Alejandra
 Romero
Suárez

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