José María Mazón Sainz (1901–1981) was a Spanish lawyer and a Traditionalist politician. In the early 1930s he was active within Carlism and rose to party leader in the province of Logroño. Engaged in the coup of July 1936, during the Spanish Civil War he favored unification into the state party. His political career climaxed at the turn of the decades; in 1937–1938 he held a seat in the first Falange Española Tradicionalista executive Junta Política and in 1937–1942 during two first terms he was member of another top party structure, Consejo Nacional. In return, he was expulsed from Comunión Tradicionalista. In the early 1940s he withdrew from politics and led a Madrid law firm.
Family and youth
The family of Mazón was first noted in Cantabria; in the modern era it became fairly popular in the then Castilian provinces of Santander and Burgos.Mazon entry, [in:] Heraldica Familiar service, available here The branch which José María descended from was related to the municipality of Ramales, located in the mountainous Cantabrian hinterground area known as Sierra de Rozas. His first identified ancestor was Juan Mazón, though it is not known what he was doing for a living.he was married to Clara Gómez, Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Santander 27.04.27, available here The son of Juan and the father of José María, Eugenio Mazón Gómez, became a pharmacist.La Rioja 24.08.16, available here At unspecified time though probably in the 1890s he married Clotilde Sainz.see 41 imgsExpte. nº 563 instruido contra MAZON SAINZ, Claudio por el delito/s de Desafección al Régimen., [in:] Pares service, available here, document #37, also El Avisador Numantino 07.02.12, available here Prior to 1897 (exact year unknown) Mazón Gómez assumed the pharmacy in Haro, at that time a mid-size Riojan town in the province of Logroño.in 1897 he was mentioned as “conocido farmaceútico”, living in Haro, La Rioja 23.10.97, available here
The couple had 7 children, born between 1894 and 1919; the first two died in their very early infancyin 1897 an unnamed brother died in early infancy, La Rioja 23.10.97, available here. Another brother, Ciríaco Mazón Sainz, died in 1899 at 22 months of age, La Rioja 26.08.99, available here. and José María was the oldest son and the second oldest sibling who reached mature age,ABC 15.05.91, available here followed by two other sisters and one brother.all children were Clotilde (1894), NN (1897), Ciríaco (1898), José María (1901), María Antonia (1906), Claudio (1911) and Maria de la Vega (1919), see files of Republican tribunals from 1937-1938, e.g. Expte. nº 559 instruido contra MAZON SAINZ, María Antonia por el delito/s de Desafección al Régimen, [in:] Pares service, available here He spent his early childhood in Haro, though nothing is known about his early schooling. To pursue secondary education in his early teens he moved to the Alavese capital Vitoria, where he started frequenting the local Instituto; in 1913 he was noted for excellent marks.Heraldo Alaves 10.06.13, available here In the second half of the 1910sin 1916 Mazón was noted in the press as visiting Vitoria; apparently he resided elsewhere at the time, La Rioja 24.08.16, available here Mazón commenced law studies at an unspecified university. He graduated in the early 1920s, and in 1922 he was admitted to Cuerpo General de Administración de la Hacienda Pública, a corporative organisation for a branch of civil servants.ABC 19.07.22, available here He returned to Haro and started practicing as a lawyer; in the second half of the 1920s Mazón was on his own representing parties in court.Diario de Alicante 17.10.28, available here
Some time prior to 1929 Mazón married Consuelo Verdejo from Haro; nothing is known about her or her family.she was Mazón's senior, Boletin Oficial de la Provincia de Logroño 03.06.22, available here The couple had 3 children. Verdejo was last noted as Mazón’s wife in 1955.Anuario español y americano del gran mundo, Madrid 1956, p. 681 There is no information on her later fate; however, in 1956ABC 10.05.56, available here Mazón was reported as married to his relative, Emilia Sainz Palomera (died 1989).ABC 11.06.89, available here She originated from Carranza,ABC 11.06.89, available here from a pharmacy-related family,her brother Antonio Sainz Palomera was a pharmacist from Cantabria, El Cantábrico 30.05.20, available here and widowed following an earlier marriage.in 1929 she married an entrepreneur of Mexican origin Justo López Arriola, La Voz de Cantabria 17.01.29, available here. Further fate of the couple is not known They had no children.she outlived Mazón by 8 years, and her death notice did not mention any children of her and Mazón, ABC 11.06.89, available here Among the children from the first Mazón’s marriage Eugenio during late Francoism became director general of Correos y TelecomunicacionesD. Eugenio Mazón Verdejo, [in:] Centro Riojano de Madrid service, available here and of Obra de 18 Julio;Manuel Martorell Pérez, Carlos Hugo frente a Juan Carlos. La solución federal para España que Franco rechazó, Madrid 2014, ISBN 9788477682653, p. 152 he was moderately engaged in Traditionalism and served in the Cortes in 1971–1976.Mazon Verdejo, Eugenio entry, [in:] official Cortes service, available here Among Mazón’s grandchildren from Mazón Lloret, Saavedra Mazón and Martínez del Campo Mazón families the best known is Vega Mazón Lloret; she represents the third generation running the family law firm in Madrid.Mazón Abogados website, available here Mazón’s younger brother Claudio was also moderately involved in Carlist politics.El Siglo Futuro 03.02.36, available here
Restless Riojan Carlist
Eugenio Mazón was a vehement Carlist; in 1908 he served as secretario general of the movement’s Junta Local in Haro.El Correo Español 31.12.08, available here José María Mazón and his siblingsat least one José María's sister during her youth was also a Carlist and member of Comunion Tradicionalista; in Republican Madrid and at the age of 17 it cost her detention and incarceration; though no other charges were brought, in March 1937 a revolutionary tribunal sentenced her to loss of civil rights and one year in labor camp, see Expte. nº 205 instruido contra MAZON SAINZ, María Dolores (o MAZON SANZ) por el delito/s de Desafección al Régimen, [in:] Pares service, available here. Also in the spring of 1937 the younger brother Claudio, detained on July 19, 1936 and having spent 9 months in prison, was set free by another revolutionary tribunal, Expte. nº 563 instruido contra MAZON SAINZ, Claudio por el delito/s de Desafección al Régimen, [in:] Pares service, available here. Another sister, Maria Antonia, arrested in August 1936 and since then behind bars, in January 1938 was sentenced to 2 years in labor camp and loss of civil rights, Expte. nº 559 instruido contra MAZON SAINZ, María Antonia por el delito/s de Desafección al Régimen, [in:] Pares service, available here inherited political outlook from their father and were brought up in zealous Carlist ambience; when filling the routine depuration questionnaire in 1940 he noted against the point about membership in political organizations: “I have been a Carlist since February 26, 1901, the day I was born”.“soy Carlista desde 26 de Febrero de 1901, lo que naci”, see Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid. Comisión Depuradora. Expediente personal del Letrado don José María Mazón Sainz, available here However, first information on his public activity is related to primoriverrista structures and generic Catholic circles; in 1923 he was noted as a member of SomaténLa Rioja 23.12.23, available here and in the mid-1920s as a speaker at Cultural Harense, a local Christian ateneo.La Rioja 01.02.24, available here At the turn of the decades he was already a recognizable local right-wing figure. During local elections of April 1931 he was voted into the Haro ayuntamiento; in the left-wing dominated body he assumed leadership of the opposition “minoría Católico-Monárquica”.José Luis Gómez Urdáñez, La Dictadura de Primo de Rivera y la República, [in:], Pagina Profesional de Luis Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 13, available here
In Haro the Republic years of 1931–1936 were marked by high level of tension in the town hall; Mazón was among the protagonists of the conflict. Having lost the elections for the post of the mayor he protested composition of the local municipal executive, as alcalde and tenientes de alcalde were selected from the victorious Radical-socialist coalition with not a single post of power shared with the opposition minority.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p.14 As member of comision de instrucción he tried to oppose secular education,Gómez Urdáñez 2017, pp. 14-15 protested changes of street names in line with the new Republican fashion, and worked to retain traditional flavor of local popular feasts.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, pp. 14-15 Ignored or outvoted, eventually right-wing councillors ceased to attend the town hall meetings.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 15 At the same time Mazón mobilized Carlist support in HaroEl Siglo Futuro 18.03.32, available here and elsewhere,El Siglo Futuro 14.06.32, available here while his wife animated the local Margaritas organisation.El Cruzado Español 06.11.31, available here
During the anarchist rising of January 1933 Mazón and right-wing concejales re-appeared in the town hall, declaring the need to ensure law and order; they were ridiculed by the mayor.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 20 In return, in 1934 Mazón accused him of promoting unyielding subversive educationGómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 31 and fomenting revolution.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 38 He remained busy speaking at Carlist rallies in La RiojaEl Siglo Futuro 22.05.34, available here and in 1934 he was already acting as the Carlist jefe provincial in Logroño.El Siglo Futuro 16.05.34, available here The year of 1935 produced further propaganda activity of MazónEl Siglo Futuro 12.09.35, available here and his wife.El Siglo Futuro 02.03.35, available here In November he again withdrew from the ayuntamiento claiming that new elections were long overdueGómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 44 and focused on buildup of the local Carlist paramilitary organisation, requeté.El Siglo Futuro 02.01.35, available here He worked for the Carlist cause during the February 1936 general elections; Comunión Tradicionalista candidates gathered 945 votes in Haro, but Frente Popular candidates emerged victorious.Gómez Urdáñez 2017, p. 45 Following assassination of a Carlist militant in Haro, in April he formatted the funeral as a Traditionalist demonstration.Pensamiento Alavés 20.04.36, available here
Unification protagonist