Marcelino Oreja Elósegui (1894–1934) was a Spanish entrepreneur, Catholic activist and Carlist politician.
Family and youth
Marcelino Oreja Elósegui was descendant to a petty bourgeoisie Basque family, originating from the Gipuzkoan town of Orexa.according to Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Antecedentes de la Revolución de octubre de 1934 y su repercusión en el País Vasco, [in:] Euskonews s/d, available here; José María Urkia Etxabe, Benigno Oreja, pionero de la Urología en Euskadi, [in:] Noticias de Gipuzkoa, 15.10.14 claims that the family was from “localidades navarras de Atayo y Arriba” see here His paternal grandfather was a physician.Urkia Etxabe 2014 His father, Basilio Oreja Echaniz, settled in the Biscay Ibarrangelu and since the late 1870s also practiced as a doctor,he is first time mentioned in Anuario-almanaque del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración of 1879, p. 1215, see here in the early 20th century briefly serving also as a mayor.listed as alcalde in 1900 and 1902, compare Annual del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración, 2 (1900), p. 545, available here; in 1899 and 1904 he is listed as "medico", compare here Marcelino's mother, Cecilia Elósegui Ayala, came from a distinguished and much branched Gipuzkoan family.Urkia Etxabe 2014 His older brothers were active in the Vascongadas branch of Carlism during the late Restoration period already. Basilio died early.La Lectura Dominical 20.06.14 available here Benigno made his name as a physician and one of urology pioneers in Gipuzkoa.see Benigno Oreja entry at Colegio Oficial de Médicos de Gipuzkoa website, available here; he was also active in the Carlist medical service during the Civil War, see Manuel Solórzano Sánchez, Las Margaritas. Enfermeras del Partido Carlista, [in:] Enfermeria avanza service available here Ricardo became one of the Gipuzkoan party leaders; he was elected to the Cortes in 1920 and 1923,see Indice Historico de los Diputados at the official Cortes service, available here during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship serving as gobernador civil of the Santander province.La Vanguardia 03.03.25, compare also here, some internet sources wrongly claim it was Marcelino performing the governor role, see e.g. here Both were members of the Francoist Cortes in the 1950s and 1960s.see Indice Historico de los Diputados available here
Marcelino Oreja was born to his parents rather late,the exact birth year remains somewhat unclear. José Luis Orella Martínez, El origen del primer Catolicismo social Español, [PhD thesis, Universidad de Educación a Distancia], Madrid 2012, p. 235, claims he was born in 1896; the Geni service indicates 1894, the same year is mentioned by Roberto Villa García, Las elecciones de 1933 en el País Vasco y Navarra, Madrid 2007, , 9788498491159, p. 272; Marcelino Oreja Elosegui entry at Auñamendi Eusko Entzikipedia available here claims he was born in 1891 much junior than his older brothers,the birth year of his brother Benigno is also unclear. Some claim it was 1878, see Santiago Casas, Los Cursos Internacionales Católicos de San Sebastián (1935), [in:] Sancho el Sabio, 35 (2012), p. 152; some claim he was born in 1880, see Urkia Etxabe 2014; depending what birth of Marcelino is adopted, the difference between the two could be 11 or 18 years, see also José Antonio Martín Aguado, José R. Vilamor, Historia del Ya: sinfonía con final trágico, Madrid 2012, , 9788415382508, p. 49 and was brought up in a militantly Catholic ambience.Aguado, Vilamor 2012, p. 49 He studied civil engineering and graduated as ingeniero de caminos, canales y puertos,La formación de la imagen del Colegio. La comunicación de ideas. El Think Tank. La Fundación, [in:] Fundación Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos website, available here/ in 1925 nominated “ingeniero en practicas”.Madrid cientifico 1925, p. 16, available here He married Purificación Aguirre Isasi, descendant to a well-to-do Gipuzkoan family. Her father, Toribio Aguirre Ibarzabal, served as a Traditionalist officer during the Third Carlist War.Marcelino Oreja habla de su padre, [in:] Diario Vasco 01.11.09, Josemari Velez de Mendizabal, Unión Cerrajera S.A. Riqueza centenaria, [in:] Josemari Velez de Mendizabal, José Ángel Barrutiabengoa, Juan Ramón Garai, “Ama” Cerrajera, Donostia 2007, p. 58 (mentioned as “Second Carlist War”) He became a member of new Basque industrial elites as co-founder, one of major shareholders and directing manager of the metalworking company Union Cerrajera.it specialised in supporting construction industry, manufacturing around 1,200 types of devices, Velez de Mendizabal 2007, p. 60; for shareholding structure see Velez de Mendizabal 2007, p. 55, for Aguirre’s managerial activities see p. 58 and passim The posthumous son of Marcelino and Purificación, Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, was a Francoist diplomat and later Christian-Democrat politician;semi-official biography available at Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l’Europe service here in 2010 Juan Carlos de Borbon made him marquis of Oreja.see the Official Gazette available here His son and the grandson of Marcelino, Marcelino Oreja Arburúa, is a Partido Popular politician and in 2002-2004 served in the European Parliament. Another grandson of Marcelino Oreja, Jaime Mayor Oreja, also a PP politician, held various high official jobs in the Basque Country, served in the Cortes in 1996-2001 and in the European Parliament in 2004-2014.
Catholic activist
Profoundly religious though falling short of exalted religiosity,e.g. he rejected approaches by a visionary, Francisco Patxi Goicoechea, see William A. Christian, Visionaries: The Spanish Republic and the Reign of Christ, Berkeley 1996, , 9780520200401, pp. 60, 453 Oreja commenced his public activity during the academic period in the very last years of the Restoration era. In early 1920 he entered Asociación Católica Nacional de Propagandistas,Orella Martínez 2012, p. 289, Pedro Fernández Barbadillo, El día en que los socialistas asesinaron a Marcelino Oreja, [in:] Libertad Digital Historia, 01.06.11, available here the lay Catholics organization founded back in 1909.Orella Martínez 2012, p. 289, Fernández Barbadillo 2011 Seconded by ACNdP, later that year he commenced work on launching a conservative academic union, Asociación Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos Españoles, set up and confederated with Confederación Internacional de Estudiantes Católicos.Orella Martínez 2012, pp. 231-233 Based in Madrid, Oreja emerged as number two in the organization, becoming its secretary general;Marcelino Oreja Elosegui entry at Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, also Fernández Barbadillo 2011. The president was Fernando Martín Sánchez-Julia, Orella Martínez 2012, p. 235 he is credited for “inflammatoryOrella Martínez 2012, p. 446 harangues, opposing secularism in education and advocating Catholic integrity as an academic foundation.Orella Martínez 2012, p. 232 Some time afterwards, still acting on ACNdP initiative, he went on to build another Christian youth organization, Juventud Católica Española, somewhat broader in scope than CEC and more tied up with the parochial network. In 1924 Oreja entered its first Comisión Ejecutiva and became member of the propaganda section,Chiaki Watanabe, La Juventud Católica Española.Orígenes y primer desarrollo, [in:] Espacio, Tiempo y Forma, 8 (1995), pp. 133-134 travelling extensively across Spain, organizing JCE structures and taking part in various congresses,Orella Martínez 2012, pp. 316-317 described as “vibrant and effusive” speaker.Francisco Cervera, Ángel Ayala, S.I., Madrid 2009, , p. 286
In 1925 Oreja joined the ACNdP executive, nominated consejero nacional of the organizationOrella Martínez 2012, p. 235 and rising to one of its key figures, on friendly terms with Angel Herrera Oria. In the mid-1920sAguado, Vilamor 2012, p. 49 claims it was in 1920 Herrera dispatched him to the United States,Alicia Tapia López, La enseñanza de la documentación en la escuela de periodismo de «El Debate». Antecedentes y evolución posterior (1989 [sic!]-1971), [in:] Documentación de las Ciencias de la Información 24 (2001), p. 222, wrongly claims it was Ricardo not Marcelino the key purpose having been management training. Oreja enrolled at Columbia University, studying administration and journalism;Orella Martínez 2012, p. 436, Aguado, Vilamor 2012, p. 49 he was also gaining hands-on familiarity with top American newspapers, collaborating with Boston Globe and New York Times.Oreja Aguirre, Antecedentes… He remained in the US for two years.Aguado, Vilamor 2012, p. 49 Upon his return, Oreja praised efficiency of modern American Catholic organizations like Caballeros de Colón and warned against the Jewish influence in the US.Orella Martínez 2012, p. 246 Back in Spain, ACNdP seconded him to El Debate, a dynamic daily owned by a controlled publishing house, Editorial Católica;Orella Martínez 2012, pp. 66-68 Oreja entered the executive board and became its manager.Marcelino Oreja Elosegui entry at Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia He is credited for setting up an affiliated journalism school, renovating linotype infrastructure, introducing new techniques of editing and innovative advertising strategies.Aguado, Vilamor 2012, p. 49-50
Manager