An influential master of the Spanish Political Law: Vicente Santamaría de Paredes (1853-1924)

Abstract

Vicente Santamaría de Paredes was the most influential professor of the Spanish Political Law during the Restoration (1874-1923). Successor of Manuel Colmeiro and predecessor of Adolfo Posada in the chair of this academic discipline at the Central University of Madrid, their main works were the Curso de Derecho Político and the Curso de Derecho Administrativo. Both were published for first time in the eighties of the nineteenth century and re-edited many times after. Santamaría had also an important activity as a lawyer, as a member of Parliament inside the Liberal Party, as a minister of Education in a Cabinet headed by Segismundo Moret and as preceptor of King Alfonso XIII. Santamaría promoted the Act which in 1888 carried out a deeply reform of the administrative jurisdiction and drew up the new functions of the Consejo de Estado. This essay deals with his career path, especially in the field of the Political Law.