Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres

Don Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres-Sotomayor, 1st Count of Romanones, Grandee of Spain (Madrid, 9 August 1863 – 11 October 1950, Madrid) was a Spanish politician. He was the Prime Minister of Spain three times between 1912 and 1918, president of the Senate and seventeen times minister. He belonged to the Liberal Party of Sagasta and Canalejas.

He was the second son of Ignacio de Figueroa Mendieta and Ana de Torres Romo, marquises of Villamejor, rich owners of land and mines. He graduated in law from the Central University of Madrid in 1884 and obtained a doctorate from the University of Bologna. He never practiced law and was always involved in politics and business.

He started his political career with the support of his father in law, an influential politician, and he represented for Guadalajara from 1886 to 1936. He was elected councilmember to Madrid City Hall and, in 1894, mayor of Madrid. His political career was always linked to the Liberal Party of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta.

He was Minister of Public Instruction and the Arts (1901-1902) in the government of Sagasta during which he incorporated teachers' salaries in the nation's budget. In 1903 he founded a political newspaper, Diario Universal.

In the Liberal governments of 1905 and 1906 he was Minister of Development (Fomento which included agriculture, industry, commerce and public works), Justice and Interior. He contributed to the rise of José Canalejas to the top of the Liberal Party and, as a reward, he was appointed minister of public instruction in 1909 and later propmoted to the presidency of the House of Representatives (Congreso de los Diputados) in 1912.

After the assassination of Canalejas, he became one of the prominent figures in the Liberal Party and he was appointed prime minister (1912-1913). He negotiated with France a treaty on Morocco.

During the First World War he held a pro-French stance, which put him in conflict with the official declaration of neutrality of the government of Eduardo Dato and with the pro-German stance of the conservatives. When he again became prime minister (1915-1917), he changed Spain's foreign policy closer to the allies and confronting Germany over an incident of Spanish ships being torpedoed by German submarines Incapable of resolving Spain's social problems and attacked by the pro-German conservative press, he finally resigned.

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