José Canalejas Méndez

Pseudonym: He used the pseudonym ?el cantor de Mugardos? in a manual newspaper that he created when he was still a child
Category: Politician, writer
Birth Date: 31st July 1854 († 12th November 1912)
Birth Place: Ferrol (A Coruña)
 Curriculum

He studied both Law and Arts, taking his degree in 1872. When he was eighteen, he was appointed as an assistant to the professorship ?General Principles of Spanish Language and Literature?. In 1883, he was elected as undersecretary of the Government?s Presidency and in 1887, he became the second vice-president of the Congress. In 1888, he was nominated as Minister responsible for public works. Then he was nominated as Minister of Justice. José Canalejas gave up politics until the year 1894. It was in 1905 that he was nominated President of the Congress. In 1908, he made a second marriage to María Fernández Cadenas. His first wife had died in 1897 because of heart complaints.

 Work & Activities

José Canalejas Méndez developed a great political activity. When he was still a ten-year-old boy, he translated from French into Spanish the novel Luis, el joven emigrado. In 1875, he published the book Apuntes para un curso de literatura latina in two volumes. In 1888, he published the book Derecho parlamentario comparado and he also wrote the prologue to the work by Juan del Nido y Segalerva. In 1910 he published the book Estudios sobre las Regalías de la Corona de España. Besides, he collaborated with the press and gave many lectures.