Antonio María Andrés Mazarrasa Quintanilla (1864–1941) was a Spanish politician, civil servant and entrepreneur. Politically he initially supported the Carlists, then he joined the breakaway Mellistas, and eventually he engaged in Primoriverrista structures. In the 1890s he was a member of the Santander ayuntamiento. His parliamentarian career climaxed during two terms in the lower chamber of the Cortes (1903–1905 and 1910–1914) and one term in the senate (1919–1920). In 1924–1927 he served as civil governor of the Segovia province. In 1928–1936 and 1939–1940 he was the managing director of Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Madrid. Until the late 1920s he was engaged in a family-held Mazarrasa mining conglomerate in Cantabria.
Family and youth
The family of Mazarrasa for centuries has been representative for Cantabrian rural hidalguia with its members active in the bar, army and officialdom,José de Mazarrasa y Cobo de la Torre, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here though also in arts.Olav Mazarrasa Mowinckel, Fernando Fernández Herrero, Mazarrasa. Maestros canteros y arquitectos de Trasmiera, Santander 1988, ISBN 9788486238179 The great-grandfather of Antonio, Juan Manuel Mazarrasa Mazarrasa (1746-1824),Juan Manuel de Mazarrasa y Mazarrasa, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here was the native of Villaverde de Pontones,Fermín de Sojo y Lomba, Biografía del Mariscal Mazarrasa, [in:] El Mariscal Mazarrasa, Santander 1973, p. 32 a village in the Trasmiera county; he served as Abogado de los Reales Consejos. His younger son and the grandfather of Antonio, Felipé Mazarrasa Cobo de la Torre (1789-1879),Felipe de Mazarrasa Cobo de la Torre, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here inherited the grand family house in Villaverde and became one of the 50 largest rural taxpayers in the Santander province.Boletín de Comercio 13.10.75, available here His son and the father of Antonio, Juan Manuel Mazarrasa Jorganes (1827-1898), also from Villaverde,Juan Manuel de Mazarrasa Jorganes, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here became a lawyer.Sojo 1973, p. 114 He represented in court some major creditors of La Providencia and La Esperanza, Cantabrian mining companies extracting zinc and lead ores in Andara, in eastern parts of Picos de Europa; eventually in the 1880s he purchased the troubled companies on auctionJosé Luis Pérez, José Antonio Gutiérrez Sebares Historiador y autor de El metal de las cumbres. Historia de una sociedad minera en los Picos de Europa (1856-1940) «La minería en Picos fue rentable hasta el fin de la I Guerra Mundial», [in:] El Diario Montañes 20.05.07, available here and re-oriented the family economy from agriculture and rental of rural properties to industry.
Mazarrasa Jorganes married Josefa Quintanilla López-Galmares (died 1906),Josefa Quintanilla López-Galmares, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here daughter to an enriched indiano originated from the Salamanca province and his Mexican wife, both settled in Cantabria.Mazarrasa’s maternal grandfather was Zoilo Quintanilla Mazo, the native of Tamanes (Salamanca procince); his wife Páz López Galmares, i.e. Mazarrasa’s maternal grandmother, originated from San Luis de Potosi in Mexico, see Mazarrasa Quintanillo, Antonio. Partida de Bautismo, [in:] Senado official service, available here The couple lived in the family residence in Villaverde de Pontones and had 10 children, born between the mid-1860s and the mid-1880s; Antonio was the oldest one.the siblings were Antonio María Andres (1864), José María (1867), Agustín (1868), Juan Manuel (1878), Carlos, Isabel, Trinidad, Paz, Zorita and María del Carmen, Josefa Quintanilla López-Galmares, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here Though 3 younger sons became engineers, supposed to manage technicalities of the mining business, Antonio was licenciado in law in ValladollidModesto Sánchez de los Santos, Simón de la Redondela, Las Cortes españolas: las de 1910, Madrid 1910, p. 532 and then moved to Universidad Central in Madrid. In the early 1880s he was noted as an active student;El Imparcial 06.10.83, available here following graduation in 1885Sara del Hoyo Maza, De la harina al acero. José María Quijano y las Forjas de Buelna (Cantabria, 1873-1914), Santander 2021, ISBN 9788417888442, p. 118 and his brief apprenticeship period later, in 1887 he entered Colegio de Abogados in SantanderEl Correo de Cantabria 01.07.87, available here and opened his own law firm in the Cantabrian capital,Del Hoyo Maza 2021, p. 118 soon to look after legal affairs of the Mazarrasa mining conglomerate.
Already in his late 30s, in 1902,La Correspondencia de España 28.10.02, available here Antonio Mazarrasa married María de la Concepción Fernández de Henestrosa Tacón (1878–1968);G2 María de la Concepción Fernández de Henestrosa Tacón, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here she was daughter to a retired Madrid military Francisco Javier Fernández de Henestrosa Santiestban, who claimed aristocratic titles of Marqués de Villadarias, Marqués de Vera, and some other. The couple settled in Santander and had 6 children, born between the early 1900s and the early 1910s. One son perished during infancy in 1917;José María (birth year unclear) died in 1917, José María de Mazarrasa Fernández, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here two others were executed by the Republicans in 1936, one in BilbaoAgustín was shot in Bilbao on September 9, 1936, Movimiento Nobiliario 1931-1940, p. 110, available here and one – who started to earn his name as an Atletico Madrid wingerMazarrasa entry, [in:] BDFutbol service, available here – in Paracuellos de Jarama.José Ignacio Corcuera, Futbolistas nacionales fallecidos en la Guerra Civil, [in:] Cuadernos de Futból 103 (2018) The oldest son Roberto Mazarrasa Fernández (1903–1981) became a career officer in the artillery corps. Among Antonio's grandchildren the best known one was a military historian, Javier Mazarrasa Coll;Javier de Mazarrasa Coll, [in:] Casa del Libro service, available here his brother Agustín went into the footsteps of his grandfather and in the late 20th century he held managerial roles in Caja de Ahorros y Monte Piedad de Madrid. The Catholic priest-singer Gonzalo Mazarrasa MartínGonzalo Mazarrasa Martin, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here and a writer Lucia Botín Mazarrasasee e.g. at TodosTuLibros service, available here are descendants of Mazarrasa's brother, while authors from the Mazarrasa Mowinckel family are descendants of his sister.see Felipe de Mazarrasa y Mazarrasa, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here
Early public career (until 1902)
The Mazarrasas held firmly reactionary views. The older brother of Antonio's paternal grandfather, José de Mazarrasa Cobo de la Torre (1772-1858), was among leaders of Voluntarios Realistas and rose to highest positions in the legitimist army during the First Carlist War, nominated mariscal de campo.José de Mazarrasa y Cobo de la Torre, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here Antonio's grandfather held minor roles in Carlist structures of the late Isabelline period,Sojo 1973, p. 345 while his relative José Tomás de Mazarrasa served as bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo and Filipopolis.Del Hoyo Maza 2021, p. 118 The young Antonio inherited their political outlook; already during his academic years he signed letters protesting secularization in education,El Imparcial 06.10.83, available here and then he married a girl from the vehemently Carlist family. Initially he was active in technically non-political organizations flavored with conservative spirit, e.g. in the late 1880s he was noted in Milicia Cristiana of Santander.El Aviso 03.07.86, available here However, Mazarrasa engaged also in charityEl Atlántico 24.03.88, available here and education, e.g. as member of Real Sociedad Económica Cantábrica de Amigos de País.Mazarrasa was member of comisión de ciencias, literatura y bellas artes, El Atlántico 28.03.88, available here In 1892, he became president of Círculo Tradicionalista in Santander.El Correo Español 26.12.92, available here Mazarrasa cultivated also personal cultural links.e.g. in 1893 he welcomed Narcís Oller in Santander, Jordina Gort Oliver, Viatges i literatura en Narcís Oller, [in:] Quaderns de Vilaniu 59 (2011), p. 41
Already in the late 1880s Mazarrasa was voted into the Santander ayuntamiento;El Atlántico 15.08.89, available here in 1892 he rose to primer teniente de alcalde.El Atlántico 15.08.89, available here Having his ticket in the council prolonged in the 1893 electionsEl Aviso 16.11.93, available here in the mid-1890s, he served as tercer teniente de alcaldeEl Correo Español 27.02.94, available here and as presidentEl Correo de Cantabria 31.08.94, available here of Comisión de Obras of the town hall.La Atalaya 04.01.94, available here He animated some municipal cultural and leisure institutions.1895 in Circulo de Recreo, El Atlantico 27.03.95, available here In the late 1890s he was among major shareholders of municipal bonds.Revista Ilustrada de Banca 1898, available here His spell in the ayuntamiento continued; as a coalition candidate Mazarrasa was re-elected in 1901,El Atlantico 27.03.95, available here though in 1902 he lost the internal city council elections for the post of deputy mayor.El Cantábrico 02.01.02, available here
Continuously active in the bar,for 1890 see El Atlántico 02.05.90, available here he was increasingly engaged in business, also abroad, representing the family interests in Britain;El Atlántico 10.02.95, available here in 1898 Mazarrasa Jorganes died and the brothers agreed their roles in Minas Mazarrasa.Antonio Gomar, El arte en las minas, [in:] Amalgama 6 (2012), pp. 4-5 In 1899 he entered the board of Nueva Montaña, a family-held steelworks company.Revista Ilustrada de Banca 1898, available here In 1900 as representative of Cantabria Mazarrasa joined the executive of Sociedad Española de Minas, a newly formed local cartel,Revista Ilustrada de Banca 1900, available here and in 1901, he became a member of the board of Hidráulica de Frésser, supposed to operate a hydro power plant in Catalonia.El Cantábrico 25.05.01, available here His political engagements at the time were muted. The press did not note any activities, and also contemporary scholars when discussing Carlist history of the late 19th century do not mention Mazarrasa.see Agustín Fernández Escudero, El marqués de Cerralbo (1845-1922): biografía politica [PhD thesis Complutense], Madrid 2012 Reportedly, in 1893, he agreed with the party leader Marqués de Cerralbo that he would run for the Cortes from Vitoria,El Atlántico 23.01.93, available here but there is no follow-up known. His 1897 taking part in a local party rally in Liébana, where he accompanied one of the parliamentarian Carlist leaders Matías Barrio y Mier, was rather exceptional.La Atalaya 28.08.97, available here
Carlist deputy (1903–1914)