Eustaquio Echave-Sustaeta Pedroso (1872–1952) was a Spanish Carlist publisher and politician. He was related to numerous periodicals, but is known mostly as manager and editor-in-chief of the local Pamplonese daily, El Pensamiento Navarro (1897–1917). His career in party ranks climaxed in the early 1930s, when very briefly he held the Carlist provincial jefatura in Álava. The apogee of his political trajectory fell on early period of the Civil War, when he was president of the Alavese Diputación Provincial (1936–1938) and leader of Falange Española Tradicionalista in Álava (1937). At times he is also acknowledged as a polemist of Sabino Arana (mid-1890s), who inadvertently helped the latter to refine his theory of Basque nationalism, and as a point of reference for the Carlist position towards fueros.
Family and youth
The surnames of Echave and Sustaeta appeared in history of Gipúzkoa already in the medieval era, but it is unclear when and in what circumstances they were merged into a composite one.Ampelio Alonso de Cadenas López, Blasonario de la consanguinidad ibérica, Madrid 1979, ISBN 9788487204982, p. 45 The first bearer of the Echave Sustaeta surname identified was Eustaquio's paternal grandfather, Antonio Francisco Echave Sustaeta.see later recollecions of Eustaquio, Pensamiento Alaves 29.12.36, available here In the 1840s and 1850s he was secretario del ayuntamiento and tesorero de la caja de caminos - mid-range local administrative jobs - in the Gipuzkoan coastal town of Motrico;BOE 22.11.60, available here there is little more known of him.except that he married Vitoria Gaviola, a girl from Marquina, Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Gaviola entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here His son Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta GaviolaEustaquio Echave Sustaeta Gaviola entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here (died 1891)El Resumen 21.02.91, available here was also born in Motrico.Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Pedroso entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here In 1857Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Gaviola entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here he married Segunda Pedroso Corralsee Matrimonios section in Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Gaviola entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here (1835–1909)La Rioja 30.09.09, available here from Elciego in Álava.Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Pedroso entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here The couple moved following juridical career of Echave Sustaeta: in the 1860s he was promotor fiscal del Juzgado de Hacienda in Logroño,Boletin Oficial de la Provincia de Logroño 23.03.66, available here in the 1870s juez de primera instancia in HaroBoletin Oficial de la Provincia de Logroño 06.01.69, available here and then in the early 1880s in Tolosa.La Correspondencia de España 24.02.83, available here In the mid-1880s he settled in Zaragoza,La Correspondencia de España 31.08.86, available here where he retired still as juez de primera instancia.El Resumen 27.02.91, available here
The couple had at least 5 children, born between the late 1850s and the mid-1870s: daughters Gregoria,Gregoria Josefa Echave-Sustaeta Pedroso married Eloy Guillermo Ramírez Barraicoa, Eloy Juan Ramírez Echave-Sustaeta entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here Regina,Regina Echave-Sustaeta Pedroso (born 1859) married Juan Ramírez Barraicoa, a doctor from Elciego, Regina Ma de la Asunción Victoria Josefa Echave Sustaeta Pedroso entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here and Soledad,Soledad Echave-Sustaeta Pedroso (died 1937), married to López, giving rise to López Echave-Sustaeta line; her son was a military and perished in Nationalist ranks during the civil war and sons Eustaquio and Antonio. There is nothing known about the childhood years of Eustaquio. According to some sources he spent his early years in Elciego, with the maternal family, though at some stage he joined his father in Zaragoza; it is unclear whether he received secondary education in the Aragonese capital. Some time in the very late 1880s he enrolled in the law faculty at the University of Zaragoza,in 1891 he was in "curso tercero", El Cruzado Español 27.09.29, available here where he pursued academic career with Juan Moneva y Puyol.La Voz de Aragon 01.04.32, available here Already during his university spell he demonstrated interest in letters, and especially in journalism; following graduation in 1894Echave-Sustaeta y Pedroso, Eustaquio de entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra, available here he did not launch a career in law, but moved to Bilbao to assume the post of editor-in-chief of the newly set up periodical of the Carlist youth, Chapel-Zuri.Chapel Zuri entry, [in:] Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia, available here
In 1902 Echave-Sustaeta married Victoria Sáenz de Navarrete Ramírez (1874Eustaquio Echave Sustaeta Pedroso entry, [in:] Elciego municipal service, available here, also Victoria Sáenz de Navarrete y Ramírez entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here-1948La Rioja 29.10.48, available here), also from Elciego. She came from a locally distinguished family;1968 Poesía a la Virgen de la Plaza, [in:] Elciego historico blog 31.08.17, available here her father León Sáenz de Navarrete Ramirez de la Piscina counted among the richestLa Rioja 19.01.02, available here and largest landowners in the area, engaged in the wine-growing business.El farmaceútico Don Julián Sáez de Navarrete Ramírez, [in:] Elciego historico blog 24.02.21, available here The couple later inherited some real estate in Elciego, where Echave-Sustaeta would spend last decades of his life. They had no offspring;the death notice of Víctoria Ramírez did mention any children, as was customary at the time, see La Rioja 29.10.48, available here as was customary for childless well-off couples, they later served as padrinos to many local children.La Rioja 04.06.27, available here The best-known Echave-Sustaeta's relative was his younger brother Antonio,also a lawyer, he graduated in 1901, La Rioja 23.11.01, available here in 1907-1924 member of the Alavese Diputación Provincial,La Rioja 29.09.10, available here in 1961-1964 member of the FET executive and deputy to the Cortes.Echave Sustaeta, Antonio entry, [in:] Cortez official service, available here His older son and Eustaquio's nephew, José Blas Echave-Sustaeta Peciña,compare certificate issued during the depuración process, available here during late Francoism grew to General Inspector del Cuerpo de Intervención,Boletin Oficial del Ministerio de Defensa 07.01.78, available here while the younger one Javier Echave-Sustaeta Peciña became a nationwide known scholar in Latin.he specialized in Virgil, compare his works at Dialnet.Unirioja service, available here; he marrie who married María del Pilar del Villar e Iturralde, Pensamiento Alaves 01.09.38, available here In turn his son, José Javier Echave-Sustaeta del Villar, is a moderately known Catholic author and activist.he is best known for his monograph on bishop Manuel Irurita, Javier Navascués, Mons. Irurita, [in:] El Español Digital 07.03.23, available here
Early public activity (before 1897)
There is little known about political preferences of Echave-Sustaeta's ancestors. His grandfather was a vehement supporter of separate Basque establishments, and in the mid-19th century in open letters he protested against "anexion de este país á una nación extranjera",El Reino 03.12.60, available here which might or might have not translated into Carlism.a copy of the newspaper was preserved in the family archive and 66 years later Eustaquio referred to it in his recollections, Pensamiento Alaves 29.12.36, available here However, some claim that Echave-Sustaeta was "carlista de abolengo", implying that he inherited Carlist ideas from his forefathers.La Voz de Aragon 01.04.32, available here Already during his academic period he was a zealous adherent to the movement; in 1891 (according to some sources in 1892Jaime del Burgo, Bibliografia del siglo XIX. Guerras carlistas, luchas políticas, Pamplona 1978, ISBN 8423503429, p. 50) in Zaragoza he co-launched a weekly El Aragonés, the only Carlist periodical in the city, discontinued when its editors completed university studies and left Zaragoza.El Cruzado Español 27.09.29, available here His first identified contribution to the national Carlist mouthpiece, El Correo Español, is dated 1893; at the time in the official party structures he held the post of vicesecretario of Junta Provincial.El Correo Español 04.05.93, available here
In 1894, having moved to Bilbao, Echave-Sustaeta engaged in the local weekly Chapel-Zuri (eng. white beret); according to himself and most of the sources, he acted as both editor-in-chief and as manager,Echave-Sustaeta y Pedroso, Eustaquio de entry, [in:] Eusko Aunamendi Entziklopedia online, available here though according to other sources the overall management was at least during some time with Enrique de Olea.Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana, vol. 39, Madrid 1920, p. 987, also J. Navarro Cabanes, Prensa carlista, Valencia 1915, p. 196 The periodical either was or became the mouthpiece of Juventud Carlista, the youth branch of the Biscay Traditionalism.Chapel Zuri entry, [in:] Aunamendi Eusko Entziklopedia online, available here In the mid-1890s Echave-Sustaeta co-founded the organisation;Javier Real Cuesta, El Carlismo Vasco 1876–1900, Madrid 1985, ISBN 8432305103, p. 148 it counted some 200 members.Real Cuesta 1985, pp. 148-149 He led some of its public rallies and grew to its president;El Correo Español 04.05.93, available here in 1897 he was also president of Círculo Tradicionalista de San Jaime in Bilbao.Jordi Canal, El carlismo, Madrid 2000, ISBN 8420639478, p. 222