José María Ampuero Jáureguispelling of the segundo apellido is unclear. The official site of the Spanish senate opts of “Jaúregui”, compare here . Also some official documents reproduced at the Senate site and originated during Ampuero’s parliamentary career use the “Jaúregui” spelling, compare e.g. the property registry certificate from 1907, available here . However, a Basque online encyclopedia opts for “Jáuregui”, compare here . Press and other prints from the 19th century opted for “Jáuregui” as well, see e.g. Guía Oficial de España 1912, available here . Obituaries published by Ampuero’s family after his death adhere to the “Jáuregui” spelling, see here , and this is the version followed here (1837-1917) was a Spanish Carlist politician. In 1881-1884 he served one term in the lower house of the Cortes, in 1907-1913 during two terms he held the Senate ticket, and during a few separate strings between the 1880s and the 1910s he was a member of the Biscay provincial self-government, diputación. At the turn of centuries acting as second-in-command of the Biscay party organization, in the mid-1910s he was briefly a member of the Carlist national executive. Currently he is known mostly as fervent advocate of Basque culture and separate Basque provincial establishments, which he promoted as publisher, organizer and politician.
Family and youth
The first known ancestor of José María was Pedro Ampuero Ajo, who in 1704 integrated numerous possessions in Asturias into one mayorazgo. One branch of the Ampueros settled in Biscay, grew to major landholders, inter-married with other prestigious families,the great-great grandfather of Ampuero Jáuregui, Pedro Antonio Ventura de Ampuero Salcedo (grandson to Ampuero Ajo), married María Teresa de Urquijo Gutiérrez, Archivo Familiar Ampuero [in:] Archivo de la Fundación Sancho El Sabio, available online here and were already known as “notoria familia vizcaína”.Pedro José Chacón Delgado, Nobleza con libertad. Biografía de la derecha vasca, Bilbao 2015, , p. 372 The paternal grandfather of José María, Pedro María Ampuero Musaurieta, in the 1810s served as the first constitutional alcalde of Bilbao.Carlos de la Plaza y Salazar, Por Bilbao!, Bilbao 1900, p. 158 He married his cousin from the Durango-based Maguna family; its representatives commanded tercios in Flanders, one was the founder of Montevideothe person in question was Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, El Correo Español 17.09.17, available here and another served as governor of Buenos Aires.Griselda Beatriz Tarragó, De “Las Montañas” al Río de la Plata: gobernadores cántabros en Buenos Aires, [in:] Monte Buciero 12 (2006), p. 105 Durango became the family nest of the branch, centred upon the mansion known as Eche Zuria Palace.in literature the building appears also under the names of Etxezuria, Etxe Zuria, Etxe Zuri, Echezuria, and Eche Zuri Apart from rural landholdings, the principal source of family wealth,see e.g. the list of properties in Bilbao, inherited by Ampuero’s son, Ampuero Jaúregui, Expediente personal. Certificación del Registro de la Propiedad de Bilbao, [in:] Senado service, available here the father of José María, José Joaquín Ampuero Maguna,the son of Ampuero Salcedo, Pedro Joaquín de Ampuero Urquijo, was the great grandfather of Ampuero Jáuregui; he married María Francisca de Musaurieta Urbina. Their son was the grandfather of Ampuero Jáuregui, Pedro María de Ampuero Musaurieta; he married María Teresa de Maguna and then her sister, Eulalia de Maguna Ampuero, Archivo Familiar Ampuero [in:] Archivo de la Fundación Sancho El Sabio, available online here constructed and owned numerous buildings in Bilbao and surroundings.especially in Begoña and Uribarri. In downtown Bilbao José Joaquín de Ampuero Maguna built a grand house at Calle de la Lotería; the Ampuero coat of arms can still be observed at the facade, Manuel Basas, La calle de la lotería, available here . The suburban houses of particular importance were “Larracoechea en Begońa, Bitańo y Beascoechea en Izurtza y Arandia-Iturrioz en Iurreta”, apart from houses in Bilbao at Calles del Correo, Carnicería Vieja, Astarloa, Gran Vía and Plaza Nueva de Bilbao, plus iron workshops Durango, Abadińo and Erdikolea, Archivo Familiar Ampuero [in:] Archivo de la Fundación Sancho El Sabio, available online here In the 1820s and the 1830s he held various municipal and provincial posts, e.g. serving in the Bilbao ayuntamientosee Calle de la Lotería entry, [in:] Bilbaopedia service, available here or as the Biscay regidor.Dario de Areito y Mendiolea, El Gobierno Universal del Señorio de Vízcaya, Bilbao 1943, p. 134
Ampuero Maguna married Genara Jáuregui Elguezabal, descendant to a prestigious Bilbao family;some sources prefer the “Jenara” and “Elgezabal” spelling, Ampuero del Río, José Joaquín. Expediente personal. Partida de Bautismo, [in:] Senado service, available < here the couple had 5 children, born between 1829 and 1840. José María was the second one in sequence and the only son who survived early childhood.José María was born as one of two twins; his brother Victoriano died in his 13th day. His sisters were Francisca Josefa (1829), Gumersinda (1831), Fidela Eladia (1833), and María Visitación (1840), Genara Antonia Jáuregui Elguezábal entry, [in:] Geneanet service, available here Close to nothing is known of his early years, except that he was growing up in wealth and as the only male heir of the family; according to hagiographic obituary notes, living mostly at the Eche Zuria estate since youth he demonstrated vivid interest in the history of his family, Durango, Biscay and Vascongadas.J. R. Belausteguibeitia, Notas necrológicas. D. José María Ampuero, [in:] Revista Vascongada 77 (1917), p. 269 None of the sources consulted provide any information on his education and it is not clear whether, and if yes where and when he pursued an academic career. Sporadically he was later referred in the press as “distinguido abogado”,La Correspondencia de España 19.04.99, available here which might suggest his law studies, probably in the late 1850s.in the early 1860s Ampuero assumed public posts in Biscay, hardly available for a candidate with no academic education In the early 1860s he resided in Durango, aspiring to public posts and taking over the family economy.it is not known when his father died and when Ampuero Jáuregui became the family head
In 1870100 años de la muerte de Jose Maria Ampuero ¿Quién fue?, [in:] Gerediaga service 13.03.17, available here Ampuero married María Milagro del Río y Aguero, the native of Madrid though related also to Burgos.she was daughter to Antonio del Rio from Albalejo (Burgos) and Soledad de Aguero (Madrid), Ampuero del Río, José Joaquín. Expediente personal. Partida de Bautismo, [in:] Senado service, available here The couple settled in the family residence in Durango; they had 7 children, born in the 1870s and 1880s.María de la Soledad (born 1871, married to Manuel Lezama Leguizamón), José Joaquín (1872), María del Carmen (1875-1876), Antonio (1878-1901), María de la Concepción (1880), and María de la Asunción (1887-1890) are listed by the María del Milagro Río Agüero entry, [in:] Geneanet service, available here . Another son, Ramon, is listed in Ampuero's death notice, see here María del Carmen died in infancy and Antonio in his youth. José Joaquín succeeded his father in politics; as a Traditionalist in the 1910s and 1920s he served in the Biscay diputación, in the Congress and in the Senate, becoming also the local business tycoon. María de la Soledad married a Carlist politician, deputy mayor of Bilbao and senator Manuel Lezama Leguizamón.Joseba Agirreazkuenaga, Mikel Urquijo (eds.), Bilbao desde sus alcaldes, vol. 3, Bilbao 2002, , p. 594, Rafael Ruzafa Ortega, J. Antonio Pérez, Francisco Javier Montón Martínez, Santiago de la Hoz, Características y evolución de las elites en el País Vaco (1898-1923), [in:] Historia contemporánea 8 (1992), p. 134 Most of Ampuero's grandchildren engaged in business and held executive posts in various companies, though the best known one, Casilda Ampuero Gandarias, married general José Enrique Varela and supposedly influenced him towards Carlism.when discussing Varela’s political itinerary it is often noted that his close co-operation with the Carlists in the early 1930s and later loose links with Traditionalism were related to marriage with Casilda Ampuero, for review see here Her daughter and the great-granddaughter to Ampuero Jáuregui, Casilda Varela Ampuero, married a guitar virtuoso, Paco de Lucía.Yolanda Ruiz, La familia de Paco de Lucía: «Llevamos a Durango en el corazón», [in:] El Correo 27.05.17, available here Some of Ampuero's great-great-grandchildren are known as business moguls and at times attract media attention.Joaquín Güell Ampuero, high executive of numerous companies, became the target of gossip media also due to his marriage with a politician Cayetana Alvarez de Tolado, Vera Bercovitz, Lo más catalan de Cayetana Alvarez de Toledo, [in:] Vanity Fair 16.04.19, available here
Access to Carlism
None of Ampuero's ancestors was known for traditionalist political preferences and most sided rather with the emergent Spanish liberalism. His paternal grandfather was alcalde of Bilbao as defined by the new, constitutional regime, and his father sided with the Cristinos during the First Carlist War, serving on various posts in the city besieged by the Carlists.Calle de la Lotería entry, [in:] Bilbaopedia service, available here , also El Gobierno Universal del Señorio de Vízcaya, Bilbao 1943, p. 134 However, later on the family moved towards more moderate, fuerista positions; disappointed by the curtailment of Biscay autonomous establishments in the 1840s, they were involved in conspiracy against centralizing policy of Espartero.Cornelia Ampuero Maguna married Juan Ramón Arana Landázuri, alcalde of Bilbao in the 1830s and member of the Biscay diputación in the 1840s; he took part in minor “sublevación moderada-fuerista” against Espartero, Arana Landázuri, Juan Ramón entry, [in:] Aunamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here . Ampuero’s paternal uncle, Mariano Ampuero Maguna, was a priest himself, Ampuero Maguna, Mariano Melquiades de entry, [in:] Bergarako Artxiboa service, available here It is known that José María was from his youth attached to provincial fueros.Belausteguibeitia, 1917, p. 269 In his late 20s and taking advantage of the prestige of his father and other relatives, José María started to aspire to public posts. In 1864 he was appointed to the Biscay diputación foral as regidor electo from the so-called Bando Gamboino, a historical-geographical unit that the county of Durango formed part of;La España 28.07.64, available here as such he entered Gobierno del señorio de Vizcaya, a provincial self-government. Ampuero's term expired in 1866 and it is not clear whether he was re-elected for the following one of 1866–1868.Areito Mendiolea 1943, p. 152 He received the same mandate for the years of 1868-1870Areito Mendiolea 1943, p. 154 and was re-elected – still as representative of Durango - for the period of 1872–1874.Areito Mendiolea 1943, p. 157