Tomás Dolz de Espejo y Andréu y Muñoz Serrano y Duforq-Salinis, 5th Count of La Florida (1879-1974) was a Spanish politician and businessman. For approximately 30 years he campaigned within Traditionalism and Carlism. Periodically he held regional party leadership positions, and is best known as a member of the first Junta Política and Consejo Nacional (executive bodies of the newly created Francoist state party, Falange Española Tradicionalista).
Family and youth
The Dolz lineage is related to Southern Aragón; its first representatives were noted in the late 12th century.once the successful Reconquista claimed Teruel, Rocio Castellote Simón, El retablo de la Virgen del Pilar de la iglesia de San Bernardo abad de Gea de Albarracín, Valencia 2016, p. 18 The family was initially linked to Albarracín,Tomás Alamán Artigot, Gea en el tiempo, [in:] GeaDeAlbarracín service, available here over time spreading to neighboring counties.more details are scattered across different volumes of Linajes de Aragón. Revista quincenal ilustrada, see for instance Gregorio García Ciprés, Los Sánchez-Muñoz de Teruel, [in:] Linajes de Aragón 01.05.12, pp. 137-141 The Espejos originated from Castelfabib in Kingdom of Valencia.Manuel Fuertes de Gilbert Rojo, Albarracin: linajes y testimonios heraldicos, [in:] José Antonio Salas Ausens (ed.), Tiempo de Derecho foral en el sur aragonés: los fueros de Teruel y Albarracín, Zaragoza 2007, , pp. 55-106 The two families intermarried in the early 17th century, giving rise to the Dolz de Espejo branch.Castellote Simón 2016, p. 18 Tomás’ great-grandfather, Pedro Federico Dolz de Espejo, was awarded the title of Conde de la Florida in 1789.detailed discussion in Fuertes de Gilbert Rojo 2007, pp. 55-106 His son, the 2nd Count and the grandfather of Tomás, Pedro Pablo Dolz de Espejo,some services confuse different members of the family, compare Pedro Pablo Dolz de Espejo, 2. conde de la Florida entry, [in:] Geneallnet service, available here, or Compactgen service, available here. Even the canonical lecture of Traditionalist history confuses the family members; Ferrer refers to "Pedro Manuel Dolz de Espejo y Martinez Serrano", who allegedly died 1882 in Madrid, Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. 28/2, Sevilla 1959. p. 260 distinguished himself during the Napoleonic era. At the outbreak of the First Carlist War in 1833 he sided with the legitimists; following defeat he went into exile and died in 1842 in Bordeaux.La Unión Católica 09.01.80, available here His son and Tomás’ father, Pedro Manuel Dolz de Espejo (1820-1879), as 3rd Count returnedborn in 1820 he left Spain as a teenager, accompanying his father into exile to Spain re-assuming family landholdings in Teruel.La Unión Católica 09.01.80 He joined the Carlist conspiracy too,in 1869 he was appointed comisario regio for Maestrazgo - Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. 23, Sevilla 1955, p. 31 and comisario for Valencia - Jordi Canal, El carlismo, Madrid 2000, , p. 159; in 1870 he became member of the claimant’s consejo provisional - Ferrer 1955, p. 120; in 1872 he was nominated to claimant’s Real Junta – Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. 24, Sevilla 1955, p. 22 during Third Carlist War entrusted with economic issues; it was his signature present on banknotes, issued by the Carlists.ABC 21.02.59, available here He too went into exile, settling in Bayonne. He marriedin 1876; it is not clear whether the wedding took place in Spain or – which is more likely - already on exile a girl from another aristocratic Aragón family, María Andréu y Duforq-Salinissee María del Carmen Andreu y Dufourg-Salinis entry, [in:] Geneallnet service, available here (1843Roberto Moreno y Mórrison, Continuación de los Titulos del Reino, [in:] Revista de Historia y Genealogía Española 10-11 (1928), p. 885, available here-1920El Debate 10.02.20, available here, El Siglo Futuro 10.02.20, available here).
Between 1876 and 1879 the couple had 3 children;La Unión Católica 09.01.80 Tomás was born in FranceEl Correo Español 23.09.17, available here as the younger of two sons.La Unión Católica 09.01.80 It is not clear when the widow and half-orphans returned to Spain;a paternal uncle of Tomás, the younger brother of the late Pedro Manuel, also a Carlist supporter Federico Dolz de Espejo, stayed on exile in Saint-Jean-de-Luz until his death in 1886, Diario de Teruel 12.02.86, available here she is first noted back in the family palace in Teruelat Calle de los Amantes in 1888.El Correo de Teruel 30.12.88, available here, see also Eco de Teruel 28.05.93, available here None of the sources consulted provided information on the early years of Tomás, except that he was brought up in "escuela de la lealtad y sacrificio". It is neither clear where he received his education; because he was later referred to as "engineer", he probably studied technology,Santiago Olives Canals, Stephen Taylor, Who's who in Spain, vol. 1, Madrid 1963, p. 260 possibly in Madrid.in 1902 a certain "Tomas Dolz" is noted as setting up – together with individuals who later became well known - a Madrid football club named The-Sport-Foot-Ball-Club, El Cardo 30.11.02, available here At an unspecified time in the 1900s he engaged in construction; in 1911 he was noted as manager of a Madrid-based company, La Constructora.Revista Católica de Cuestiones Sociales 201 (1911), p. 193, available here; he was also reported otherwise engaged in construction business, El Correo Español 12.08.12, available here, and Arquitectura 241 (1912), p. 255, available here In 1912 he was referred to as "propietario";Revista Católica de Cuestiones Sociales 201 (1911) he took over the family business in 1913, following the premature and childless death of his older brother, the 4th Count;Pedro Dolz de Espejo Andreu Muñoz Serrano y Duforq-Salinis (1877-1913); though his father died in 1879, he was formally recognized as the 4th conde in 1903, compare Diario de Teruel 04.01.03, available here he also inherited the title.ABC 19.03.12, available here, El Mercantil 17.01.14, available here; though his brother died in 1913, Tomás Dolz was formally recognized as the 5th count in 1917, Revista de historia y de genealogía española 11 (1916), p. 527, available here
In 1912ABC 19.03.12, available here Tomás Dolz married María de la Estrella González de la Riva Vidiella (1882ABC 27.03.89, available here; another source claims her birth date was 1881, Moreno y Mórrison 1928, p. 885-1989ABC 27.03.89), daughter to teniente coronel de artillería 9th Marques de Villa Alcázar.as a teenager she moved with her parents to Madrid. One source claims she was born in Salamanca, see Moreno y Mórrison 1928, p. 885; another one sort of suggests she might have been born in Cádiz, compare Francisco González de la Riva y Vidiella, Marqués de Villa Alcázar, [in:] Ruralmedia service, available here The couple settled in Madrid at Conde Aranda;they lived at Conde de Aranda 20, Moreno y Mórrison 1928, p. 885 they had 3 children, born between 1913 and 1914. None of them became a public figure, though the only son, Carlos Dolz de Espejo y González de la Riva (1913-2013), an air force general,he rose to segundo jefe of the Air Force general staff, then nominated Jefe de la Zona Aérea de Canarias, BOE 25.05.76, available here, also ABC 25.11.72, available here briefly gained media attention in relation to the most famous Spanish UFO incident of 1976.named "ovni de Galdar", compare himself speaking on the event in 1996, YouTube service, available here A younger daughter, María,there were two daughters, Carmen (1914-2008) and María (1914-2007), compare ABC 26.01.74, available here, ABC 19.12.07, available here, and ABC 05.10.08, available here married Antonio Galbis Loriga, Conde de Morphy, general de artillería and ayudante honoríficio to Franco.ABC 15.03.03, available here Among numerous grandchildren of Tomás and María, the best known ones are Carlos Dolz de Espejo y Arrospide, businessman and the 7th Conde de la Florida;compare Dolz De Espejo Arrospide Carlos entry, [in:] Empresia service, available here Alfonso Galbis Dolz de Espejo is an artistcompare his works, available here and Tomás Galbis Dolz de Espejo was an artillery colonel.Tomás Galbis Dolz de Espejo, [in:] ABC 22.02.24, available here
Early political career (until 1919)
With two generations of ancestors serving the legitimist cause Dolz seemed poised to follow suit, especially that his mother also came from a traditionalist family.daughter of marqués de Ballestar, Moreno y Mórrison 1928, p. 885. The Ballestars supported the Carlists since the First Carlist War, Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza Gómez de Valugera, La nobleza carlista, [in:] Nobleza y sociedad en la España moderna 2 (1997), p. 102 However, during his youth Traditionalism was divided into mainstream Carlists and the breakaway Integrists. His brother, only 2 years senior, sided with the rebels; as a 16-year-old in 1893 he publicly voiced support for the Nocedalistas.El Siglo Futuro 14.03.93, available here In the course of the 1890s Pedro Dolz de Espejo grew in the Integrist structures,El Ancora 25.09.97, available here in 1900 rising to president of the Valencian Junta ProvincialEl estandarte católico 14.09.00, available here, La correspondencia de Valencia 16.04.07, available here and in 1907 entering the executive of Valencian Junta Regional.rising to its vice-president, El Siglo Futuro 12.06.06, available here, El Ebro 15.06.07, available here However, none of the sources consulted confirms (or denies) that Tomás followed his older brother; until the early 1910s, he was not recorded as engaged in politics.
Dolz was first noted in political milieuapart from non-political incidents, some of them awkward; in 1911 he engaged in a brawl, related to his borrowing and breaking of a camera, compare La Mañana 19.08.11, available here In 1911, he demonstrated support to Traditionalist deputies from both the Integrist and Jaimist minorities, who in the Cortes in vain tried to block Ley del Candado.El Siglo Futuro 06.01.11, available here In 1912 he was admitted to Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Zaragoza, a theoretically non-political but in fact highly conservative aristocratic organization.Anuario de la nobleza de España 1911, p. 587, available here Following the death of his older brother he became a somewhat prestigious figure in the Teruel realm and as such decided to join the electoral race: in 1914 he ran to the Cortes from Mora de Rubielos, a district in the Teruel province; it was also the first time he declared himself a Jaimista, member of the Carlist branch supporting the claim of Don Jaime.Diario de Valencia 04.03.14, available here The attempt proved premature and he lost pathetically, gaining 10 times fewer votes than a victorious candidate.Diario Turolense 13.10.14, available here, El mercantil 09.03.14, available here Following the defeat Florida is never confirmed to have renewed his bid for the parliament.