José Antonio Aguirre (politician)

José Antonio Aguirre y Lecube (6 March 1904 – 22 March 1960) was a Basque politician and activist in the Basque Nationalist Party.

He was the first president of the Provisional Government of the Basque Country and the executive defense advisor during the Spanish Civil War.

Under his mandate, the Provisional Government formed the Basque Army and fought for the Second Spanish Republic.

José Antonio Aguirre was born in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain.

He studied in the Basque Country's first Ikastola, a school in which all lessons were given in Basque.

He later studied law at the University of Deusto.

After his father's death in 1920, Aguirre moved with his family to Algorta, near Bilbao.

At 16 years of age, he had to become a father figure to his 10 younger brothers and sisters.

After finishing his law studies, he began working in the family business, Chocolates Aguirre.

He later took responsibility for the business and introduced many reforms, including free health care and paid holidays, which significantly improved conditions for the workers in the factory.

He also donated part of the business's revenue to the poor and advocated for social housing.

Aguirre was a football player for Athletic Bilbao; he won the Copa del Rey with the club in 1923.

During the Spanish Civil War, he was one of the main promoters of the Basque Country national football team, which played in Europe and the Americas to raise funds for Basque refugee children whose parents had been forced into exile.

In 1926, after completing his military service, he began work as an attorney at Esteban Bilbao's office.

Soon after, he founded his own firm, which focused on political issues and the working conditions of the lower class.

At the time, Spain was ruled by the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera.

Aguirre, a Basque nationalist, joined the Basque Nationalist Party.

The party was later divided into two political streams.

Aguirre opposed the division, believing that the Basque Country was above any differences.

He worked to unify the two factions and succeeded in 1930.

Aguirre increased his involvement in politics and published articles in the newspapers Euzko Gaztedia and Euzkadi.

After the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera ended in 1930, a new political era began in Spain.

In 1931 and 1932, Aguirre intervened decisively in failed attempts at Basque devolution, which called for self-government, including in Navarre.

As an example of his integrationist views and new ideals, in 1932, he proposed that the party should accept people who were not born in the Basque Country.

On 5 November 1933, two weeks before a general election, a referendum was held in Álava, Gipuzkoa and Biscay on new wording for the Statute of Devolution, which abandoned the inclusion of Navarre.

The wording was approved by an overwhelming majority (459,000 votes in favour, 14,000 against), but in Álava, the votes in favour did not reach 50%.

As a result of the dissolution of the legislature for the general election, the hesitation of radical government, and Carlist opposition to the incorporation of Álava in the statutory process, devolution was prevented until 1 October 1936, when the Spanish Civil War started.

On 7 October, the councillors from Biscay, along with some from Gipuzkoa and Álava, participated in passing a ballot.

A major uprising had occurred in Álava and Navarre, and most of Gipuzkoa was in the hands of the rebels, who, with the political machinations of the councillors, set the stage for major political change.

Aguirre was elected lehendakari, or president.

After a religious ceremony at the Basilica of Begoña in which he swore allegiance to Catholicism, his country and his party, he visited Guernica and took his oath of office in the Basque language:

"Jainkoaren aurrean apalik,

Eusko Lur gainean zutunik,

asaben gomutaz,

Gernikako Zuhaizpean,

herri ordezkarion aintzinean

nere agindua ondo betetxea zin dagit.

English translation:

"Humble in front of God,

Until 1937, Chocolates Bilbaínos S.A. was the second-largest business in its sector in Spain.