Domingo Tejera de Quesada (1881–1944) was a Spanish publisher. In 1911 to 1913 he managed a Madrid illustrated review Nuevo Mundo, in 1922 to1939 a Seville-based daily La Unión, and during short spells also other minor periodicals. During his career he contributed to numerous other newspapers, and gained recognition as the 1914 to 1917 war correspondent of ABC. Politically he initially sided with the Maurista faction of the Conservatives, but later he adopted a Traditionalist posture and became one of the most vehement Carlist propagandists. His political climax fell on the period of 1933 to 1936, when he served within the Carlist minority in the Cortes.
Family and youth
The Tejeras originated from Northern Spain.La Tejera entry, [in:] Heraldry Institute service, available here# One branch settled in the Canary Islands, though distant ancestors of Domingo are unknown. His grandfather Santiago Tejera married Dominica Ossavarry, granddaughter to a painter José Ossavarry;José Ossavarty Acosta, [in:] Real Academia Canaria de Bellas Artes service, available here he perished mid-aged during the cholera epidemics in the 1850s.Guillermo Guerra (ed.), La Hija del Mestre [theatrical program issued by Teatro Pérez Galdo], Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2018, p. 9 Social standing of the widow was modestGuerra 2018, p. 9. Some sources claim that Tejera Ossavarry was born into poverty, Gaviño de Franchy, Apuntes para una biografía del pintor Santiago Tejera de Quesada, [in:] Gaviño de Franchy blog, 02.06.14, available at [...http://lopedeclavijo...] blogspot service, site blocked by WP and their oldest son, Santiago Tejera Ossavarry (1852some sources claim he was born in 1864, Gaviño de Franchy 2014-1936),El Defensor de Córdoba 10.12.36, available here was initially educated in a seminary. Aged 17 he opted for military career and became “músico militár”. He served on the peninsula but eventually returned to his native islandGuerra 2018, p. 9 and until retirement in 1914Guerra 2018, pp. 9-10 he directed a local military band. Tejera Ossavarry was well known in Las Palmas, first because every Thursday his band entertained the city dwellers, and then because as retiree he worked as an organist by the cathedral. Apart from briefly editing a humoristic bulletin he composed music;“su corpus compositivo ... es, posiblemente, el más amplio y variado de su generación”, La Hija del Mestre 2018, p. 17 some of his zarzuelas are played until today.the two best known are Folias tristes and La Hija del Mestre; compare La Hija del Mestre 2018, or La Prensa 11.12.36, available here. The first film produced in the Canary Islands was the movie adaptation of La Hija del Mestre (1928), for entire production see here In advanced years he was reduced to poverty; the ayuntamiento purchased rights to his works and kept paying him extra pension.Guerra 2018, p. 17
Tejera Ossavarry married María Quesada Dénizsurnames referred after Gaviño de Franchy 2014, reportedly quoted after the original birth certificate of Santiago Tejera Quesada. Some sources prefer the “Denis” spelling, compare El Debate 20.11.20, available here (died 1920),La Gaceta de Tenerife 19.11.20, available here daughter to a local Canarian family.she was daughter to Francisco Quezada López and María del Pino Déniz y Grech, Gaviño de Franchy 2014 The family had at least 3 children, all of them boys. The oldest one, Santiago Tejera Quesada, gained some recognition locally as a painter but he died prematurely mid-aged in 1916;Gaviño de Franchy 2014 the youngest brother perished in 1931.La Gaceta de Tenerife 24.04.31, available here Domingo was raised in atmosphere marked by cultural heritage of the Ossavarries, literary and musical endeavors of his father, publishing business of the Quesada familyJuan de Quesada y Déniz, [in:] Oocities service, available here. Miguel Quesada Déniz was an architect, José de Quesada y Déniz ran a cigar factory in Seville and early painting achievements of his older brother. It is known that from his childhood he tried his hands in letters,Tradición 01.02.35, available here yet his exact early education is not clear. At some point he moved to Madrid and entered Facultad de Derecho at Universidad Central;La Opinión 17.10.05, available here he was last recorded as a student in 1906,La Opinión 28.06.06, available here though it is not confirmed that he graduated. At the time he already commenced co-operation with numerous periodicals and entered the editorial board of a popular Madrid review Nuevo Mundo;La Opinión 28.06.06, available here as its correspondent he already travelled to Cuba.El Cantábrico 28.06.06, available here
In 1910La Epoca 16.06.10, available here Tejera married a girl from Madrid, Emilia García Nogales, the niece of a writer José Nogales.La Opinión 02.07.10, available here The marriage barely endured a year. His wife developed grave health problems and in 1911 she died;La Correspondencia de España 18.08.11, available here the couple had no issue. In 1917 Tejera remarried with Teresa Arroyo Mateo;El Correo de Cádiz 19.07.17, available here nothing closer is known about her or her family. The couple had many children,the couple was “numerosa en hijos”, Nicolás Salas, Recuerdo de Domingo Tejera de Quesada, periodista, [in:] El Correo de Andalucia 09.12.16, available here born between the late 1910s and the early 1930s.El Guadalete 17.06.31, available here None of them became a public figure. At least 4 of them entered religious orders;Fallece una hermana de los jesuitas José y Manuel Tejera Arroyo, [in:] Info SJ service 16.11.15, available here Manuel Tejera Arroyo was Rector del Colegio Máximo de la Compañía de Jesús in Seville.Homenajes, [in:] Real Academia Sevillana de Ciencias service, available here Santiago Tejera Arroyo sided with Carlists; he served under colonel Redondo as requeté during the war,El Defensor de Córdoba 30.01.37, available here was moderately active in the post-war years and declared Don Juan the legitimate heir to the throne in the late 1950s.César Alcalá, D. Mauricio de Sivatte. Una biografía política (1901-1980), Barcelona 2001, , p. 140 He was best known, however, as manager of the Seville-based football club Real Betis.Alfonso del Castillo, Entrevista Santiago Tejera Arroyo 1969, [in:] Historia Real Betis service, available here
Early career (1907-1918)
In his mid-20s Tejera entered the circle of José Perojo, a conservative politician elected to the parliament from the Canaries; one scholar describes him as “lugarteniente de Perojo”.Agustín Millares Cantero, La desintegración del leonismo en Gran Canaria (1918-1921), [in:] Francisco Morales Padrón (ed.), XI Coloquio de Historia Canario-Americana, Las Palmas 1996, , p. 478 Perojo was co-owner of Nuevo Mundo, a modern Madrid-based magazine; in 1906 Tejera, known merely for few poemsPor Esos Mundos 1906, available here and single contributions to local dailies,La Tarde 25.08.06, available here started to publish in a weekly add-on Por Esos Mundos,Gran Vida January 1911, available and the same year he entered the editorial board of Nuevo Mundo.La Opinión 28.06.06, available here Since 1907 he started to publish his own pieces,Nuevo Mundo 1906 [index], available here and in 1909 he again travelled as its correspondent to Cuba.La Opinión 11.02.09, available here Following death of Perojo the magazine underwent changes in ownership; though related to the previous owner, Tejera declared himself happy also under the new one.La Correspondencia de España 25.10.11, available here In 1911 he was nominated the new editor-in-chief of Nuevo Mundo;La Correspondencia de España 05.11.11., available here initially his appointment was something of a stopgap measure,La Prensa 14.11.11, available here but it turned out to be more than provisional. Tejera managed the review for some 2 years; in 1913 and in circumstances which remain unclear, he resigned.La Prensa 11.03.13, available here
Following outbreak of World War I Tejera started to co-operate with a Madrid daily ABC; between 1914 and 1917 he published 82 articles which traced wartime developments.compare digital archive of ABC, available here He published under the pen-name of “R. Schneider” and his correspondence demonstrated a hardly veiled pro-German and pro-Austrian bias; apart from ongoing analysis which usually underlined arguments in favor of the Central Powers,e.g. Tejera denounced pan-slavism is in fact pan-russism, ABC 09.02.14, available here he claimed that outbreak of the war was triggered by Russia, which sought domination in the Balkans.ABC 03.09.15, available here One of his opponents – probably aware of identity of the author – noted that “R. Schneider piensa y discute como un auténtico aleman”.ABC 21.05.06, available here He contributed war correspondence also to other periodicals; in 1915 Tejera published in Ilustración Española y Americana,La Lealtad 25.05.15, available here and after 1917 especially in La Acción,La Prensa 24.07.17, available here where he wrote many first-page editorials.La Acción 12.03.18, available here, or La Acción 17.09.18, available here, or La Acción 09.01.17, available here At times Tejera published also in El Bien Público, La Gaceta de Tenerife, La Independencia, La Cruz and other newspapers.
In the entourage of Perojo Tejera approached the right-wing faction of the conservative party, headed by Antonio Maura. In the early 1910s he stepped up engagement in political structures, both in the Canary IslandsEl Progreso 15.12.09, available here and in Madrid, e.g. giving lectures in local circles of Juventud Conservadora.La Correspondencia de España 30.01.10, available here He gained some recognition as vehement participant in debate over would-be division of the Canary Islands into two provinces; in numerous publications he opposed the plan and hailed Gran Canaria over Tenerife.see e.g. El Progreso 15.12.09, available here, also La Prensa 07.07.11, available here; Tejera was criticised by his opponents as the one who “ha llevado sus odios á Tenerife hasta el ridículo extremo”, El Progreso 23.05.11, available here In 1914-1915 he emerged as one of the leaders of the Madrid maurista youthEl Diario 20.07.20, available here also La Lealtad 01.06.15, available here and even in 1917 he animated Juventud Maurista.Ciudadania 06.05.17, available here In 1918 he was building a maurista party in the islands;La Prensa 05.03.18, available here; he allegedly managed to form “núcleo de partido”, Millares Cantero 1996, p. 483 nationwide he was to head Sección de Prensa of Acción Maurista.El Debate 08.11.18, available here Prior to the 1918 elections he was marked as a Canarian candidate to the Cortes supported by the alliance of leonistas“leonistas” was the name applied to clientele of the local Canarian cacique, Fernando León y Castillo, and his grip on politics in the islands was dubbed “leonismo”, see Millares Cantero 1996 and mauristas; eventually the negotiations broke down,Millares Cantero 1996, p. 478 he stood as independent and lost miserably.La Gaceta de Tenerife 06.03.18, available here He supported a maurista candidate during the following campaign, but despite his efforts the Maura following in the Canarias was in decay.Millares Cantero 1996, p. 495
Experienced journalist (1918-1931)