Alberto Ruiz de Galarreta Mocoroa (1922 – 2019) was a Spanish historian. He is known mostly as the author of massive, 29-volume series titled Apuntes y documentos para la historia del tradicionalismo español. Written under the pen-name of "Manuel de Santa Cruz", it covers the history of Carlism between 1939 and 1966 and is considered a fundamental work of reference for any student of the movement in the Francoist era. Galarreta is also moderately recognized as a periodista, who contributed to numerous right-wing periodicals; for almost 40 years he was the moving spirit behind a Navarrese weekly/bi-weekly Siempre P'alante. He advanced the Traditionalist outlook highly saturated with Integrism; in particular, he was a vehement advocate of the religious unity of Spain. Politically he maintained a low profile, though he participated in Carlist cultural pursuits and a few times he wrote documents issued by the Carlist executive.
Family and youth
The Ruiz de Galarreta family originated from Álava; throughout the centuries it branched out, especially across Vascongadas and Navarre.Ruiz de Galarreta entry, [in:] HeraldicaFamiliar service, available here One branch settled in the Navarrese hamlet of Zudaire in Sierra de Urbasa; they got their hidalguia confirmed in the late 16th century and re-confirmed a number of times later.Ruiz de Galarreta entry, [in:] MisApellidos service, available here Its descendants moved to nearby Estella and grew to include distinguished citizens; one was the alcalde of the city.Ángel García Sanz-Marcotegui, Carlistas y Liberales en Estella (1833–1839), [in:] Geografía y Historia 1 (1994), p. 186 The oldest identified strictly paternal ancestor of Alberto was born in the mid-18th century.Fernando Ruiz de Galarreta entry, [in:] Geneaordonez service, available here His great-grandson and the grandfather of Alberto, Felipe Ruiz de Galarreta Dombrasas (died 1926)ABC 10.03.26, available here was also born in Estella, but some time in the 1870s he moved to Pamplona, where in 1875 he married Pilar Maestu (in some spellings Maeztu)see e.g. Pilar Maestu Navarro entry, [in:] Geneaordonez service, available here l Navarro.Felipe Ruiz de Galarreta Dombrass entry, [in:] Geneaordonez service, available here It is not clear what he was doing for a living, yet he was a prominent figure, since his death was mentioned even in Madrid newspapers.compare ABC 10.03.26, available here
Felipe and Pilar had at least six children, born between the late 1870s and the late 1880s. One daughter became a religious,named Adóratriz, Diario de Navarra 03.03.1926 two sons entered the militaryMelanio (?-after 1918, married to Ignacia Maisonnave) and Luis (1888-after 1969, married to Martina Mayo; she was granddaughter to a chocolate tycoon Pedro Mayo, Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here, also Felipe Ruiz de Galarreta Dombrass entry, [in:] Geneaordonez service, available here, also Hermanos Ruiz de Galarreta y Maeztu, [in:] TarragonaVintage service, available here and the other three commenced the career of entrepreneurs.Benigno (?-?) was among founders and shareholders of Banco de Pamplona; he owned also a hotel in San Sebastian, Hermanos Ruiz de Galarreta y Maeztu, [in:] TarragonaVintage service, available here. Leocadio (?-?) was emong co-founders of Credito Navarro, Miguel Angel Riezu Boj, El nacimiento de la banca moderna en Navarra, 1863–1864, [in:] Actas del III Congreso General de Historia de Navarra, Pamplona 1994, p. 17, available online here One of them was Alberto's father, Teodoro Ruiz de Galarreta Maestu (1884–1954).Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here He entered into commerce and traded in grain and seeds; at Camino de la Estación in Pamplona he operated a large warehouseDiario de Navarra 02.10.1906 and travelled on business to GuatemalaRuiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here or Argentina.Diario de Navarra 30.06.1913 In some present-day works he is referred to as "gran empresario".Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here However, he is remembered rather due to his passion for stereoscopic photography; some 600 of his excellent quality photographs form part of the Navarrese cultural heritage.Hermanos Ruiz de Galarreta y Maeztu, [in:] TarragonaVintage service, available Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in: Fototeca de Navarra, available here In 1921 he married María Felisa Mocoroa Durán, a girl from San Sebastián;Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here she was daughter to a Donostian comerciante trading in seeds,Guía ilustrada para el forastero en San Sebastián, San Sebastián 1909, p. 38 Juan Mocoroa.Diario de Navarra 14.09.1971; he was narried to Carmen Durán y Zubelzu, Banco de España, sucursal de San Sebastián, Informe Resumén, San Sebastián 1906, p. 25, available here
Teodoro and María Felisa had two children, Alberto and his younger sister Elvira.for Elvira (1925–2018) see e.g. Ruiz de Glarreta. Teodoro, [in:] Fototeca de Navarra, available here They spent their childhood in San Sebastián;Fallece en Valencia Alberto Ruiz de Galarreta Mocora, Gran Cruz de la Orden de la Legitimidad Proscrita, [in:] service Carlismo 16.09.19, available here none of the sources consulted provided information on his early schooling and fate during the civil war, though one notes that he “vividly remembered those years of terror and heroism”.Miguel Ayuso, In memoriam. Alberto Ruiz de Galarreta Mocoroa (1922–2019), el último carlista histórico, [in:] Verbo 577–578 (2019), p. 687. From Galarreta's own writings it appears that he spent early months of the war in Pamplona, Manuel de Santa Cruz, La mujer en la guerra revolucionaria, [in:] Verbo 377–378 (1999), pp. 645–650 He intended to commence a religious career and entered a Jesuit novitiate in the Veruela Abbey; however, his superiors found he did not have the vocation needed. The young Ruiz de Galarreta in 1939 opted for medicine,see his recollections from 1939 at Facultad de Medicina in Valencia, ABC y sus lectores, [in:] ABC 13.07.08, available here studied in Valencia and graduated with a thesis on the history of medicine,Ayuso 2019, p. 687 which he applied to Navy medical services later.Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 240 (1949), available here He did not marry and had no children.the necrological note mentioned his nephews and nieces, but not his children, compare ABC 04.10.2019, available here. None of other sources, including press, obituary articles or pieces on Carlist websites, referred to his wife and children His best-known relative is his nephew, a Valencian business tycoon named Alberto Catalá Ruiz de Galarreta.Alberto Catalá Ruiz de Galarreta is son to Elvira Ruiz de Galarreta Mocora, the sister of Alberto, see Catala Ruiz de Galarreta Alberto, [in:] Empresia service, available here, also Alberto Catalá: "La actuación de la Feria ha sido intachable y jamás hubo tarjetas black", [in:] El Mundo 29.11.14, available here His cousin Ignacio Ruiz de Galarreta Maisonnave was dean of the Pamplona Colegio de Abogados in the 1970s;Boletín Oficial Propiedad Industrial 1986 (01.01.70), p. 192 his wife María Isabel Hualde Redín wrote lyrics to Riau-Riau.María Isabel Hualde Redín, [in:] María del Juncal Campo Guinea et al. (eds.), Mujeres que la historia no nombró, Pamplona 2005, p 187 Their son José Ignacio Ruiz de Galarreta Hualde was a Jesuit theologianJosé Enrique Ruiz de Galarreta entry, [in:] VerboDivino service, available here and author of numerous popular books revolving around religious topics.compare his books e.g. on the Librería Teno service, available here Salvador Gayarre Ruiz de Galarreta, an architect, was grandson to Alberto's paternal uncle.Luis Ruiz de Galarreta Maestu entry, [in:] Geneaordonez service, available here
Navy career
In 1949 Galarreta was admitted to entry exams to the Cuerpo de Sanidád de la Armada, the medical branch of the Spanish Navy.Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 240 (1949), available here It is not clear whether he passed the exams that year or shortly afterwards; however, at the turn of the decade he served in the Hospital de Marina in Cartagena. In 1951 he was released from the hospital and posted to a minelayer named Vulcano, though official sources provide confusing evidence as to his rank; the ones from April 1951Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 96 (1951), available here and January 1952Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 14 (1952), available here list him as teniente médico, while the one from April 1952 as alférez de navío.Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 83 (1952), available here His service on the sea continued, when in 1952 he was moved to the Segunda Flotilla de DestructoresDiario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 14 (1952), available here at an unclear location. In 1954 Galarreta was promoted from lieutenant medic to Capitan Médico de la ArmadaDiario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 39 (1954), available here and commenced service on the light cruiser Miguel de Cervantes,Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 45 (1954), available here one of the most powerful ships of the Spanish navy of the early Francoist era. However, in 1956 he was posted to a tugboat flotilla; at the time he was listed as alumno attending the surgeon classes,Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 168 (1956), available here most likely at the University of Valencia. It is not known if and when he completed the curriculum; in 1956 the Junta de la Facultad de Medicina granted his request to proceed with a doctoral dissertation at the Universidad de Madrid,Universidad de Valencia. Anuario de la Facultad de Medicina. Curso 1956–1957, p. 187, available here yet there is no information on his PhD laurels.one author claims that Galarreta commenced work on PhD thesis, though neither in Universidad de Valencia nor Universidad de Madrid, but in Centro Zumalacarregui, under the supervision of Francisco Elias de Tejada, Jacek Bartyzel, Nic bez Boga, nic wbrew tradycji, Radzymin 2015, ISBN 9788360748732, p. 264 Galarreta's navy postings in the late 1950s and the early 1960s are unclear, though some time before 1964 he was promoted to the first senior officer rank, comandante.Diario Oficial del Ministerio de Marina 91 (1964), available here