Juan Antonio Suanzes Fernández
| Juan Antonio Suanzes Fernández | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Minister of Industry and Commerce | |
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In office 31 January 1938 – 9 August 1939 |
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| Preceded by | Joaquín Bau |
| Succeeded by | Luis Alarcón de Lastra |
| Minister of Industry and Commerce | |
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In office 19 July 1945 – July 1951 |
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| Preceded by | Demetrio Carceller Segura |
| Succeeded by | Joaquín Planell Riera (Industry) Manuel Arburúa de la Miyar (Commerce) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 May 1891 Ferrol, Coruna, Spain |
| Died | 6 December 1977 (aged 86) Madrid |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Naval engineer |
Juan Antonio Suanzes Fernández (20 May 1891 – 6 December 1977) was a Spanish naval engineer. Before the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) he directed a shipyard. During the civil war he offered his services to the Nationalist side, and was made Minister of Industry and Commerce from 1938 to 1939. He was again Minister of Industry and Commerce from 1945 to 1951.
Juan Antonio Suanzes Fernández was born in Ferrol, Coruña, on 20 May 1891. He was the oldest of six children in a family with naval traditions. His father, Saturnino Sunazes Carpegna, belonged to the General Corps of the navy. He attended a religious school for his early education. At the age of 12 he entered the naval school in Ferrol. He was promoted to midshipman (1906), frigate ensign (1908) and navy Ensign (1909). At times he was assigned to ships such as the Numancia, Pelayo, Carlos V and Reina Regente. In 1913 he was appointed as a lieutenant to the battleship España.
In 1915 Suanzes began to study naval engineering in Ferrol. In 1917 he was a captain of naval engineers, and a teacher at the Naval Military School of San Fernando in Cadiz. In 1920 he was named director of the Cartagena shipyard of the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval (SECN, Spanish Society of Naval Construction). He was appointed commander of engineers in 1921. In 1922 he was made a supernumerary of the navy so he could devote himself to his work for the private company. He was in charge of the SECN shipyard at Cartagena until 1926, then was transferred to run the shipyard in Ferrol. In January 1932 he moved to Madrid with his family. In Madrid he was Inspector General of Construction for the company. A profound patriot, he became increasingly disturbed at the British ownership position in the SECN, which he felt was trying to prevent it from evolving into an independent Spanish operation.
In 1934 Suanzes left the SECN due to what he called the "intolerable interference of the English", referring to Vickers, one of the SECN proprietors. He created a small company named Estudios, Proyectos y Reparaciones (EPYR), then obtained the position of Director General of Boetticher y Navarro, S.A. (BYNSA).
At the start of the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) BYNSA was taken over by the Ministry of Defense. In late October 1936 Suanzes took refuge in the Polish embassy. He left there in March 1937 and traveled via Valencia, Marseille and San Sebastián to Salamanca, where he placed himself at the disposal of General Francisco Franco. Suanzes was named colonel of naval engineers in charge of salvage. In June 1937 he was in Rome, where he asked Admiral Odoardo Somigli to help refurbish the Spanish naval vessels. His request was refused at first, but Benito Mussolini intervened and Suanzes was able to get a series of ships overhauled and rearmed by the Italians. Franco appointed him Minister of Industry and Commerce on 31 January 1938. The ministry was based in Bilbao, and the main task was recovery of industries in the areas that were coming under the control of Franco's forces. On 9 August 1939 he was replaced in a cabinet reshuffle by Luis Alarcón de Lastra.
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