Juan Bravo Murillo

Juan Bravo Murillo was a Spanish politician, jurist and economist. He was prime minister of Spain from 14 January 1851 to 14 December 1852 during the reign of Isabella II.

Origins

Bravo Murillo was born in Fregenal de la Sierra on 24 June 1803. After briefly studying theology, he studied law at the University of Salamanca and the University of Seville, obtaining his licentiate from Seville in 1825. He practiced law for a time in Seville. After the death of Fernando VII in 1833 he was named prosecutor of the Audiencia Provincial of Cádiz, a position he held for two years before moving to Madrid, where he co-published a journal called Boletín de Jurisprudencia. He was also a founder of the conservative newspaper El Porvenir.

Political career

He was elected a deputy in 1837 and 1840 as a member of the Moderate Party. However, his reactionary views kept him out of leadership during the decidedly liberal ascendancy of General Baldomero Espartero, regent during this portion of the minority of Isabella II. He emigrated briefly to France after the Spanish Revolution of 1841, but returned in 1843 after Espartero's fall, the beginning of the década moderada.
In January 1847 he was named Minister of Grace and Justice in the government of Carlos Martínez de Irujo, Duke of Sotomayor. General Ramón María Narváez later named him Minister of Commerce, Instruction, and Public Works, then in 1849 Minister of Finance. He was named President of the Council of Ministers of Spain, effectively prime minister, taking office on 14 January 1851, while serving as his own Minister of Finance. The events of the Revolutions of 1848 throughout Europe led him to propose an anti-parliamentarian, absolutist constitution for Spain in 1852, countering the moderate liberal tendency of the Spanish Constitution of 1845, but it proved unpopular and was rejected. He lost his position as head of government 14 December 1852; the onset of the bienio progresista some 18 months later led him to leave Spain, returning in 1856. He served as President of the Congress of Deputies in 1858, and was named to the Spanish Senate in 1863 as a senator for life.
He is responsible for founding Canal de Isabel II, the public company that still brings water to Madrid, the establishment of civil service exams, the introduction of the metric system into Spain in 1849, the Concordat of 1851 that settled differences between the Spanish government and the Holy See, and the 1852 Canaries Free Ports Act. He was also responsible for a variety of measures in his capacity as minister of finance, and founded what later became the Boletín Oficial del Estado, which remains the Spanish government's official gazette to this day.
The most interesting of his writings were published in six volumes entitled Opúsculos. He died in Madrid on 11 February 1873.

Elections to Congress of Deputies

Bravo Murillo was elected to the Congress of Deputies on 12 occasions, and represented constituencies in five different provinces :

Election number	Election date	District	Province	Took office	Left office
09	22 September 1837	At large	Seville	19 December 1837	1 June 1839
11	19 January 1840	At large	Ávila	21 February 1840	11 October 1840
14	15 September 1843	At large	Badajoz	18 October 1843	10 July 1844
15	3 September 1844	At large	Badajoz	14 October 1844	31 October 1846
16	21 June 1846	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	3 January 1847	18 December 1848
16	21 June 1846	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	20 December 1847	4 August 1850
17	31 August 1850	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	6 November 1850	7 April 1851
17	31 August 1850	Huelva	Huelva	6 November 1850	15 November 1850
18	10 May 1851	Elche de la Sierra	Albacete	4 June 1851	17 June 1851
18	10 May 1851	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	4 June 1851	2 December 1852
19	4 February 1853	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	15 March 1853	10 December 1853
21	25 February 1857	Fregenal de la Sierra	Badajoz	6 May 1857	13 May 1858

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Ministers in his governments

First ministry

President: Juan Bravo Murillo
State: Manuel Bertrán de Lis y Ribes
Finance: Juan Bravo Murillo
Grace and Justice: Ventura González Romero
Governance: Fermín Arteta
War: Rafael de Arístegui
Marine: José María Bustillo
Development: Santiago Fernández Negrete

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Second (reorganized) ministry

President: Juan Bravo Murillo
State: Manuel Pando Fernández de Pineda ; later Manuel Bertrán de Lis Ribes returned to the position.
Finance: Juan Bravo Murillo
Grace and Justice: Ventura González Romero
Governance: Manuel Bertrán de Lis Ribes, later Melchor Ordóñez and Cristóbal Bordíu
War: Francisco Alejandro Lersundi y Ormaechea, later Cayetano Urbina y Daoiz
Marine: Francisco Armero de Peñaranda, later Joaquín Ezpeleta y Enrile
Development: Fermín Arteta, later Mariano Miguel Reinoso

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