Ricardo Oreja Elósegui (1890-1974) was a Spanish Traditionalist politician. Initially in the Carlist ranks, he then joined the breakaway Mellistas, briefly engaged in Partido Social Popular, joined the primoderiverista state party Unión Patriótica, returned to Carlism within Comunión Tradicionalista and eventually settled in Francoist structures. He served in the Cortes during two terms between 1920 and 1923, and then during 5 terms between 1952 and 1965. In 1924-1927 he was the civil governor of the Santander province. In 1938 he formed part of the Gipuzkoan Comisión Gestora. In 1948-1954 he served one term in the Madrid city council, during some time as teniente de alcalde. In 1951-1965 he was sub-secretary in the Ministry of Justice. In 1934-1955 he presided over a large Gipuzkoan metalworking company, Unión Cerrajera.
Family and youth
According to one source the Oreja family originated from Orexa, a mountainous hamlet in the province of Gipuzkoa;according to Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Antecedentes de la Revolución de octubre de 1934 y su repercusión en el País Vasco, [in:] Euskonews service 2011, available here according to another they were related to Arribe-Atallu, a neighboring small municipality in Navarre.José María Urkia Etxabe, Benigno Oreja, pionero de la Urología en Euskadi, [in:] Noticias de Gipuzkoa, 15.10.14 None of the sources consulted provides information on Ricardo's distant ancestors. His paternal grandfather Martin Oreja Arzadunhe married Getrtudis Echániz Urquiaga, see Martin Oreja Arzadun entry, [in:] Geni service, available here served as a rural physician; in the mid-19th century he was recorded in the Gipuzkoan branch of Sociedad Mutua General de Socorros MutuosBoletin de Medicina, Cirurgía y Farmacia 19.03.48, available here but was noted also as related to Amoroto (Biscay) and Lanciego (Álava).Boletin de Medicina, Cirurgía y Farmacia 24.08.51, available here His son and the father of Ricardo, Basilio Oreja Echániz (1851-1914),Basilio Oreja Echaniz entry, [in:] Geni service, available here was also a doctor; at least since the late 1870s he settled in the Biscay town of Ibarrangeluhe is first time mentioned in Anuario-almanaque del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración (1879), p. 1215, available here and in the early 20th century he served as its mayor.Oreja Echaniz was listed as alcalde in 1900 and 1902, compare Annual del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración (1900), p. 545, available here At unspecified time but prior to 1878 he married Cecilia Elósegui Ayala (born 1853),Cecilia Elósegui Ayala entry, [in:] Geni service, available here a girl from Villafranca de Ordizia and descendant to a much branched Gipuzkoan family.Urkia Etxabe 2014 The couple had 6 children, born between 1878 and 1891, but 2 siblings perished in early infancy.Florencio (1882-1884) and Pascual (1888-1890), see Cecilia Elósegui Ayala entry, [in:] Geni service, available here Ricardo was born as the second youngest child.
It is not clear where the young Ricardo received his school education. In 1908 latest he enrolled in law at the University of Valladolid,El Correo Español 03.02.08, available here but in 1910 he was noted as resident in Madrid.El Correo Español 19.04.10, available here He was an excellent student and in 1912 he obtained Premio Montalbán.El Siglo Futuro 02.03.12, available here He graduated at Universidad CentralMundo Gráfico 20.03.12, available here in 1912.certificate issued by Colegio de Abogados de Madrid 11.07.21, available here The same year he was admitted to the civil service entrance examination leading to the title of Abogado del Estado,El Siglo Futuro 09.11.12, available here but there was no follow up during the next few years. In 1916 he again entered the examination process,La Correspondencia de España 18.04.16, available here passed to successive stagesLa Mañana 23.05.16, available here and was eventually nominated the state lawyer; he ranked 18th on the list, topped by José Calvo Sotelo.La Epoca 05.06.16, available here He assumed an unspecified law position in Madrid, and in 1919 moved to another unspecified legal job,La Tierra de Segovia 24.05.19, available here possibly in Direccion General de Prisiones.see certificate issued by Jefe del Registro Central de Penados y Rebeldes within Direccion General de Prisiones, 14.07.21, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid available here In 1920 he was admitted to Colegio de Abogados of San Sebastián and in 1921 he was admitted to Colegio de Abogados of Madrid.certificate issued by Colegio de Abogados de Madrid, 11.07.21, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid available here
In 1919 Oreja married María del Carmen Aspiunza GarcíaEl Debate 08.02.19, available here (died 1938),Movimiento Nobiliario 1931-1940, p. 83, available here descendant to a Madrid bourgeoisie family originated from Amurrio. The couple settled in the capital.first at Calle Marques del Duero 6, see here, and then at Calle Serrano 20, Madrid Automóvil May 1928, available here They had one child,Movimiento Nobiliario 1931-1940, p. 83, available here Fernando Oreja Aspiunza (born 1925);El Pueblo Cantabro 23.09.25, available here he made his name as a surgeon,ABC 29.07.51, available here holding high positions in orthopedic association SECOT.Eduardo Jordá López, 75. Aniversario. Historia de SECOT, Madrid 2010, p. 35 None of 4 grandchildren from the Oreja Igartúa family became a public figure;Fernando Oreja Aspiunza married María Teresa Igartúa Acha, ABC 16.06.54, available here most landed jobs in business.ABC 04.04.74, available here Oreja's older brother Benigno Oreja Elósegui emerged as the Spanish urology pioneer and served many years in the Francoist Cortes. The younger brother Marcelino Oreja Elósegui was active as a businessman; killed by revolted workers he became one of the best-known victims of the 1934 revolution. His son and Ricardo's nephew, Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, was foreign minister in the late 1970s, secretary of Council of Europe in the 1980s and EU commissioner in the 1990s. Ricardo's grand-nephews, Marcelino Oreja Arburúa and Jaime Mayor Oreja, are also recognized PP politicians.
Late Restoration
Political preferences of Oreja's ancestors are not clear, though all 3 brothers engaged in Carlism. Already during his academic years in Valladolid and in Madrid the young Ricardo was active in the movement, e.g. delivering lectures in local círculosEl Correo Español 03.02.08, available here or speaking during rallies like Fiesta de los Martires de la Tradición.El Correo Español 21.03.08, available here In the 1910s the party was increasingly divided between supporters of the claimant Don Jaime and followers of the key theorist, Juan Vázquez de Mella; the points of contention were the question of broad right-wing alliances and Spanish stand during the First World War. All Oreja brothers tended to side with de Mella; when in 1919 the conflict erupted into an open confrontation they decided to abandon the dynastic Jaimista discipline and followed de Mella to build an own organisation.José Luis Orella Martínez, El origen del primer Catolicismo social Español [PhD thesis, Universidad de Educación a Distancia], Madrid 2012, p. 182
Before any de Mella party materialized, in 1920 Oreja fielded his candidature to the Cortes. He stood in the Gipuzkoan district of Tolosa and initially was referred to as a Basque nationalist;La Voz 10.12.20, available here only later he was identified as a traditionalist of the Mellista breed. The grouping enjoyed much influence in the province and there was no counter-candidate standing; Oreja was declared victorious according to notorious Article 29see Oreja’s 1920 mandate at the official Cortes service, available here and entered the legislative as one of two Mellistas.La Correspondencia de España 13.12.20, available here, Juan Ramón de Andrés Martín, El cisma mellista: historia de una ambición política, Madrid 2000, ISBN 9788487863820, p. 211 His known activity in the chamber was mostly about the Gipuzkoan paper industry; he advanced its interests with the DiputaciónLa Voz 22.01.21, available here and ministerial offices.La Voz 16.03.21, available here In 1921 he remained enthusiastic about de Mella and prospects of the party;Oreja declared “soy un entusiasta, un optimista, pues con un hombre que es la encarnación del talento, de la abnegación y del sacrificio, que enarbola una bandera de principios sagrados, no se puede sentir nunca el desaliento”, referred after Andrés Martín 2000, pp. 221-222 Oreja accompanied his leader in MadridLa Epoca 04.06.21, available here and on tours in Catalonia.Andrés Martín 2000, pp. 221-222 However, at the time the Mellista structures remained feeble and the movement was influenced by Víctor Pradera, who advocated an alternative, minimalist alliance strategy. Oreja was increasingly bewildered. It is not clear whether he took part in the grand Asamblea de Zaragoza of 1922, already controlled by the Praderistas; representatives of “mellismo ortodoxo” accused him of “imprudencia política tradicionalista”.Andrés Martín 2000, p. 241
At the time Oreja was leaning towards another initiative, formatted as an attempt to launch a Christian-democratic party. Having obtained Pradera's authorization in early 1923 Oreja co-founded Partido Social Popular; together with Salvador Minguijón, Angel Ossorio Gallardo and Manuel Simó Marín he entered its Directorio.La Correspondencia de España 10.01.23, available here In 1923 he renewed his bid for the Cortes mandate; he again stood in Tolosa and again emerged victorious,see Oreja’s 1923 mandate at the official Cortes service, available here running on a broad traditionalist ticket;La Correspondencia de España 30.04.23, available here in the chamber he was one of two deputies still associated with increasingly shadowy Mellismo.Andrés Martín 2000, p. 242 With other PSP leaders he launched a campaign for fundamental change of the regime, which amounted to doing away with the allegedly obsolete restauración system; in a series of manifestos they advocated proportional electoral system, reform of municipal self-government, and a Catalan autonomy statute.La Voz 08.07.23, available here Confronting large sections of the public, they also voiced against the protracted military campaign in Morocco and demanded Spanish withdrawal from the war-engulfed region.El Sol 07.02.23, available here
Dictatorship
During first weeks following the Primo de Rivera coup Oreja and the PSP leaders remained cautiously supportive of the new military regime. Their manifesto welcomed the dismantling of inefficient, corrupted liberal regime and repeated all earlier reform proposals,El Sol 02.10.23, available here accompanied by some new points like institutional support for small property, both urban and rural.La Acción 08.12.23, available here In December 1923 the general PSP assembly openly declared full co-operation with directorio militar and proclaimed that support for Primo was a measure of patriotism.El Debate 21.12.23, available here However, the dictatorship introduced legislation which rendered regular party activity impossible and PSP operations came to a halt. In mid-1924 Oreja was already noted speaking at rallies of the emergent state quasi-party, Unión Patriótica.El Debate 05.06.24, available here He went on with his abogado job, e.g. representing mining companies;El Debate 29.05.24, available here he might have been also involved in setup of emerging telecommunications services.see a note in El Orzán 15.11.24, available here, which suggests that Oreja had some business links with the telecom industry