José Marina Vega

José Marina Vega (1850–1926) was a Spanish military officer and politician. Leader of the military operations in Melilla during the 1909 Melilla Campaign, he later served as High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco (1913–1915) and as Minister of War (1917 and 1918).

José Marina Vega
Photographed by Goñi in 1910 in Madrid
High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco
In office 1913–1915
Minister of War
In office October 1917 – November 1917
In office March 1918 – November 1918
Senator of the Kingdom
In office 1919–1923
Personal details
Born	13 April 1850 Figueres, Spain
Died	30 January 1926 Madrid, Spain
Military service
Rank	Lieutenant general

Biography

Born on 13 April 1850 in Figueres, province of Girona,[1] he is sometimes reported to be born in 1848,[2] as his father (a captain of the Spanish Armed Forces) declared him to be 2 years older in his application to the military.[3] He moved as child to Luzon (Philippines). Returned to Peninsular Spain, he joined the Battalion of Hunters Llerena as cadet in 1863.[4]

Marina and Alfonso XIII, circa 1909.

He fought in the Third Carlist War.[5] With a military career in infantry, and promoted to colonel in 1893, Marina was destined to places such as Philippines and Cuba.[6] He was promoted to the rank of brigader general in 1896.[7] He was promoted to Divisional general in July 1900.[8] Following a brief spell as civil governor in Barcelona (1899),[9] he was destined to Melilla in 1905.[1]

At the helm of the military in the North African city, Marina Vega commanded the operations in the Melilla hinterland in retaliation to the attacks of Riffian tribesmen during the so-called Melilla War, including the Disaster of the Barranco del Lobo in July 1909, that, taking place simultaneously with the Tragic Week riots in Barcelona, prompted a dismay in the Spanish public opinion.[10] He was promoted then to Lieutenant general.[11]

Appointed as High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco in replacement of Felipe Alfau Mendoza, he served from 1913 to 1915.[12]

He served two times as Minister of War (1917 and 1918) in cabinets presided by Eduardo Dato and Antonio Maura.[13] Appointed as senator for life in 1919,[14] he died on 30 January 1926 in Madrid (Calle de Zurbano, 6).[6][15]

References

Citations

1. Fontenla Ballesta, Salvador (2017-04-18). La guerra de Marruecos (1907 – 1927): Historia completa de una guerra olvidada (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 978-84-9164-008-0.
2. "Muerte del general Marina". ABC. 31 January 1976.
3. Cuenca Toribio & Miranda García 1992, p. 106.
4. Carrasco González, Antonio M. (2012-05-15). El reino olvidado: Cinco siglos de historia de España en África (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 978-84-9970-773-0.
5. Serrano Vélez, Manuel (2018-04-15). Silvestre o el sueño de un imperio (in Spanish). Editorial Almuzara. ISBN 978-84-17418-43-4.
6. Soldevilla 1927, p. 88.
7. "Ascensos en el generalato. D. José Marina Vega". La Época. Madrid (18009). 30 July 1900. ISSN 2254-559X.
8. "La Gaceta". La Época. Madrid (18009). 30 July 1900. ISSN 2254-559X.
9. Risques Corbella, Manuel (1994). El Govern Civil de Barcelona al segle XIX: desenvolupament institucional i acció política (PDF). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. p. 565.
10. León Rojas 2018, p. 49–50.
11. "El ascenso del general Marina". La Época. Madrid. LXI (21105). 28 July 1909. ISSN 2254-559X.
12. Serrano Valls, Luis (2019-08-06). Del Llano Amarillo a Puigcerda: La Guerra Civil según el testimonio de uno de sus participantes, el Teniente General D. Alberto Serrano Montaner (in Spanish). Punto Rojo Libros. ISBN 978-84-17988-63-0.
13. Pérez Frías 2006, p. 16.
14. "Marina Vega, José". Senate of Spain.
15. "Muerte de un caudillo. El general Marina". El Imparcial. Madrid. LX (20608). 31 January 1926. ISSN 2171-0244.

Bibliography

• Cuenca Toribio, José Manuel; Miranda García, Soledad (1992). "Sociología de los ministros de la Restauración (1902-1931)". Revista de Estudios Políticos (75): 87–130. ISSN 0048-7694.
• León Rojas, José (2018). "Tarifa y las Campañas de Marruecos (1909-1927)". Aljaranda. Tarifa: Ayuntamiento de Tarifa. 1 (92): 47–66. ISSN 1130-7986.
• Pérez Frías, Pedro Luis (2006). "Malagueños en la élite militar de poder durante el reinado de Alfonso XIII" (PDF). Ambitos: Revista de estudios de ciencias sociales y humanidades (15): 11–24. ISSN 1575-2100.
• Soldevilla, Fernando (1927). El año político (1926). XXXII. Madrid: Imprenta y Encuadernación de Julio Cosano.