Luis Argemí y de Martí

Luis Argemí y de Martí
Born
Luis Argemí y de Martí

1873 (1873)
Manresa, Spain
Died1950 (aged 76–77)
Barcelona, Spain
Occupationentrepreneur
Known forbusinessman, politician
Political partyCarlism

Luis Argemí y de Martí (Catalan: Lluís Argemí i de Martí; 1873-1950) was a Spanish Catalan entrepreneur and politician. In business his primary focus was on chemicals and his company formed part of a cartel which controlled sections of the European dyes market; however, he was involved also in textile, hydro-electricity, finance, construction and publishing industry. In politics for decades he supported the Carlist cause, yet in the 1940s he put up with Francoism. In 1907-1918 he served in the Barcelona provincial diputation, in 1914-1918 in Mancomunitat, in 1918-1920 in the Senate, and in 1943-1946 again in diputación, this time as its president. In historiography he is known also as promoter and sponsor of Sindicatos Libres, a Catholic trade union which engaged in violent conflict with the Anarchist CNT.

Family and youth

industrial landscape along the Cardener river, Manresa, early 20th. c.

The surname of Argemí appeared in Catalonia already in the early modern era,[1] yet there is close to nothing known about Luis's distant ancestors. In the mid-19th century one branch of the family counted among the local Manresa bourgeoisie; in the 1840s its representatives[2] were noted as stakeholders in the textile company Argemí, Gallifa i Companyia,[3] though in the 1860s they went separate way and set up their own business.[4] The Argemí Gali brothers[5] owned in Manresa a mid-size fiber and fabric factory,[6] known as Pont Vell or Sant Pau;[7] since 1875 they operated also a related hydro plant, powering their textile machinery and located at the banks of the Cardener river.[8] One of the brothers and the father of Luis, Luis Argemí Galí, practiced also as a lawyer, noted as "abogado, propietario y fabricante".[9] None of the sources consulted provides any information on Luis' mother, María del Pilar Martí Miralles, except that she died in 1905;[10] it is neither known whether apart from Luis the couple - living in Manresa - had any other children.

The adolescent Luis received his schooling mostly in the 1880s, during 8 years spent in the Piarist college in Barcelona, where he obtained the bachillerato.[11] According to one source he studied in Ciudad Condal and pursued two paths, graduating in law and in filosofía y letras;[12] another source is more specific and claims he was doctor in law, but merely licenciado in philosophy and letters.[13] However, one more source claims he gained his laurels in derecho civil y canónico with sobresaliente marks in Salamanca in 1897.[14] In 1899 he was briefly mentioned at minor official position as fiscal in Esplugas,[15] and in 1900 he was first recorded as a defense lawyer in Barcelona.[16] The official annual listed him as abogado in Manresa in 1903.[17] At that time Argemí was already managing Sant Pau, the plant he inherited from his father and uncles.[18]

In 1901 Argemí married married Nieves Albiñana Folch.[19] She was descendant to a few well-off Catalan bourgeoisie families. Her father, Frederic Albiñana Vila, in 1882 co-founded a Barcelona company which traded in grain; it was initially named Folch, Albiñana y Cía,[20] but when it started distilling alcohol it got transformed into Fábrica de Alcoholes Industriales.[21] Luis and Nieves had 3 children, all of them daughters: María Luisa, María Nieves and María del Pilar Argemí Albiñana. The first girl died in 1908 as a four-year-old;[22] the other two got married, but descendants from Del Val Argemí and Escofet Argemí lines did not become public figures.[23] The best known Argemí's relative was his brother-in-law and business partner, Joaquín Albiñana Folch.[24] Recognized as a successful businessman, he was shot by an anarchist during final phases of the Catalan pistolerismo wave in 1923.[25]

Entrepreneur

At least since 1899 Argemí was operating the textile plant he inherited in Manresa.[26] In 1915 he was still recorded as owner of Fábrica de San Pau,[27] yet none of the sources consulted confirms he remained engaged in the cotton business later on; in the 1920s he was not listed among the San Pau stakeholders.[28] However, Argemí remained engaged in textile industry because of his newly developed chemical enterprise. In the early 1900s he set up in Barcelona[29] a company named Argemí y Cía, managed by his relative Mariano Miralles y Quintano.[30] It was producing various type of dyes, used for textiles. Its flagship product was a white paint pigment branded Nevin; Argemí was its only manufacturer in Spain.[31] He co-operated with numerous textile companies, including this owned by Albiñana. In 1917 the two families re-established their business in Barcelona as Industrias Químicas Albiñana Argemi S.A. (IQAA).[32] Developed into a large chemical plant with hundreds of employees, in the 1920s this company kept producing Nevin[33] and other types of pigment, like lithopone;[34] in the latter case, IQAA entered an international cartel, which controlled most of the European market.[35] Later the company run into problems, accumulated debt and suspended payments, yet it is not clear whether the case was not rather this of a war between the owner and trade unions.[36] In the 1930s Argemí remained active in Cámara Nacional de Industrias Químicas, where he served as vice-president,[37] and co-organized 1930[38] and 1932[39] Congreso Nacional de las Industrias de la Pintura.

Though chemicals was his primary industry, Argemí diversified his entrepreneurial activity into numerous other businesses. Because of his ownership of the Cardener-based power plant, Argemí remained marginally engaged in the hydro-electricity sector; in 1929 he was member of Confederación Sindical Hidrográfica del Pirineo Oriental and periodically formed part of one of its working committees.[40] He tried his hand in finance, and in 1902 co-founded[41] La Unión Catalana, a mutual insurance company;[42] in 1909 he would become the director of the enterprise.[43] Later sources point to his stakes in General de Crédito S.A. (in the 1910s)[44] and Caja de Pensiones para Vejez y de Ahorros (in the 1940s).[45] One more industry he entered was mining; in 1908 Argemí applied for and was granted concessions to explore iron ore in Prades[46] and barite in Vimbodi,[47] both in the province of Tarragona; exploration indeed commenced and continued for a few decades; in the mid-1920s his company[48] opened an overhead cable, transporting barite from a pit in the Tacho gallery to Poblet.[49] In the 1920s Argemí got engaged in construction business; in 1923 he was vice-president of Fomento de Casas Baratas S.A.,[50] and in 1924 he co-founded and entered the board of Fomiento Nacional de Viviendas.[51] The last industry he stayed associated with was publishing: in the 1940s, but perhaps also earlier, he was member of Consejo de Administración of La Hórmiga de Oro, a Catholic magazine issued in Barcelona.[52]

Diputación and Mancomunitat (1907-1918)

It is not clear what political preferences prevailed in the Argemí family;[53] it is only known that the parents of Luis were deeply religious.[54] Himself he has not been noted for any engagements until his mid-30s, when he suddenly emerged among Catalan Carlist leaders like Duque de Solferino, Miguel Junyent and Lorenzo Alier.[55] He must have been active in the party for some time, as in 1907 Argemí formed part of the Catalan executive, Junta Regional.[56] At the time this body was divided over strategy versus the nascent Catalanism, and Lliga Regionalista in particular. Argemí voiced strongly in favor of an alliance, and eventually had his way.[57] In 1907 elections to the Barcelona Diputación Provincial he was running on a joint Solidaritat Catalana ticket,[58] in some newspapers referred to as "regionalista",[59] yet "aprobado" by the Carlists.[60] He obtained 8,951 votes and was comfortably elected.[61] As it would turn out, he commenced a 12-year-long spell in Diputación. Argemí was re-elected[62] in 1911, again as a Carlist running on a broad, Lliga-dominated right-wing coalition,[63] this time with 14,575 votes;[64] one more re-election came in 1915, also as part of candidatura regionalista,[65] with 9,787 votes.[66] His service in Diputación terminated in 1918, when Argemí was elected to the Senate.

In the provincial self-government Argemí was active in many fields, as member Comissió de Governació (1909-1911), Comissió de Ferrocarrils Secundaris, Comissió d’Instrucció Pública i Belles Arts (president, 1909), Comissió d’Hisenda (1909-1915), Junta de Govern de les Cases de Caritat i Maternitat (1916), Junta Autònoma del Laboratori General d’Investigació i Assaig, Comissió Permanent d’Actes, Comissió Mixta de Reclutament (1912), Comissió de Beneficència, Comissió de Foment (1917), and Comissió Interprovincial de Mancomunitats (1913).[67] During few strings he served as vice-president of Comissió Provincial[68] and in 1910 as presidente interino.[69] However, he assumed most important role when in 1914 delegated to Mancomunitat, the body he lobbied for since the early 1910s; in this newly created Catalan self-government he was member of its Consell Permanent[70] and remained on good terms with the president, Enric Prat de la Riba.[71]

Within the Carlist organization Argemí periodically served as vice-president of Junta Regional[72] and Junta Provincial,[73] though following the 1915 election to Diputación he resigned all functions.[74] Every some time the press noted his Traditionalist engagements: in 1908 he spoke at a Carlist rally in Manresa,[75] in 1909 he co-presided over Barcelona funeral ceremonies following death of Carlos VII,[76] the same year he co-opened a new círculo in the city,[77] in 1911 he attended a requeté rally in Monistrol[78] and an Agrupación Escolar Tradicionalista banquet in Barcelona,[79] in 1912 he spoke at another banquet,[80] in 1913 he addressed crowds at Fiesta de Reyes,[81] in 1916 he took part in an aplech in Tona,[82] in 1917 he attended another banquet,[83] in 1918 co-presided over a rally in Vich[84] and supported a Carlist candidate to the Cortes from Tarragona.[85] Apart from party events, he took part in Catholic rallies against what was perceived as anti-religious "proyecto de cultura"[86] and against secular schools.[87]

Senate and Libres (1918-1923)

Though Solidaritat Catalana as a political coalition disintegrated in the early 1910s, Catalan Carlists kept co-operating with La Lliga also later. This alliance produced the March 1918 comfortable Argemí's election to the senate from the province of Lérida;[88] he then resigned from Diputación,[89] which in turn resulted in his departure from Mancomunitat. The same political combination[90] got him re-elected in June 1919, though this time he represented the province of Barcelona and the electors only marginally preferred him over the counter-candidate, Alejandro Lerroux.[91] Argemí's term in Madrid terminated in late 1920;[92] there were rumors circulating about his attempts at Carlist-Lliguist-supported re-election (either to the upper or the lower chamber) in 1920,[93] 1922[94] and 1923,[95] but they either failed or proved unfounded. In the senate much of Argemí's activity was about increasing street violence and social tension in Catalonia, related mostly to growth of Anarchism.[96] Numerous times he spoke about "el problema sindicalista"[97] and "desarrollo de un proceso revolucionario evidente", calling the government to implement "extraordinary measures";[98] in this respect he also co-operated with the Madrid administration.[99] Many of Barcelona press titles reported his endeavors in detail.[100]

Argemí confronted Anarchist tradeunionism also beyond the Cortes. In the 1900s[101] he co-organized Comité de Defensa Social[102] and then was active in Acción Social Popular,[103] e.g. during so-called Semana Social.[104] In 1919 he was among key promoters[105] of a newly found Catholic trade union, Sindicato Libre;[106] historians claim that "the principal goal of this union was to oppose the CNT’s dominance".[107] It is supposed that Argemí purchased firearms, intended for the Libres when confronting CNT.[108] The Anarchist newspaper denounced them as killers paid by employers[109] and in similar tone some historians claim that the syndicate "embodied Barcelona’s first fascist movement".[110] Barcelona was soon engulfed in the violent wave of urban pistolerismo.[111] Either Argemí's plant or its employees were repeatedly assaulted, be it in 1915,[112] 1916,[113] 1920,[114] 1921[115] or 1923.[116] The violence climaxed when in June 1923 unidentified pistoleros shot his brother-in-law, Joaquín Albiñana;[117] the press widely speculated that he was killed by mistake, and the actual target was Argemí.[118]

Within Carlism in the late 1910s Argemí entered the national executive, Junta Suprema, where he lobbied for neutrality during the Great War.[119] Though the anti-Catalanist faction in the party lambasted "Junyent, Argemí, Trias y Cía" as traitors to Don Jaime, sold to the regionalistas,[120] during the Mellista breakup in 1919 he remained loyal to his king.[121] He was nominated to new Junta Regional of "carácter interino",[122] though seldom he appeared also beyond Catalonia, e.g. at Mitin Social Jaimista in Madrid in 1920.[123] Argemí enjoyed confidence of the claimant, as in 1922[124] and 1923[125] he travelled to Paris to receive latest instructions; upon return he used to brief the Catalan executive[126] and published press articles in the regional party mouthpiece, El Correo Catalan; he explained that Don Jaime was sympathetic towards the Catalan self, but also firmly against separatism.[127] In 1923 he headed Departamento de Organización in Junta Regional.[128]

On the sidelines: dictatorship, republic and war (1923-1939)

The coming of the Primo dictatorship was to an extent the result of breakdown of public order and the wave of pistolerismo in Catalonia, yet there is no evidence that Argemí got engaged in support of the dictadura. He was noted neither as member of the primoderiverista quasi-party Unión Patriotica nor the quasi-militia Somatén; no press title reported his taking part in official rallies or ceremonies. Labor disputes in Industrias Químicas Albiñana Argemi SA were dealt with by an arbitration body set up by the regime, Comité Paritario, e.g. in 1928.[129] If noted in the press, it was rather in relation to attempts to defuse tension by means of Catholic social teaching, e.g. in the local Junta de Obra (1924)[130] or when engaged in charity (1926, 1928).[131] In 1930 he co-ordinated, partially financed and headed a pilgrimage to Vatican, officially organized under the auspices of the Catholic Barcelona weekly, La Hormiga de Oro.[132] Within Carlist structures, barely operational due to political limitations imposed by the dictatorship, he was rather inactive, until in 1925 he resigned from Junta Regional.[133]

Following the advent of the Republic in 1931 Argemí remained on the sidelines of Carlist politics[134] and entered neither the Barcelona Junta Provincial not the Catalan Junta Regional;[135] a monographic work on Catalan Carlism during the republican era mentions him only once, in relation to the 1932 elections to the regional autonomous parliament.[136] He no longer allied with Lliga Regionalista and was running on a far-right coalition list of Dreta de Catalunya from the urban Barcelona constituency.[137] The alliance performed disastrously; while the victorious Esquerra/Unió Socialista candidates got 50-60,000 votes and the Lliga candidates got around 30,000,[138] the Dreta hopefuls were supported on average by some 6,000 voters; Argemí got 6,025 votes.[139] Afterwards he was noted only when taking part in Comunión Tradicionalista rally against planned legislation on religious orders in 1933[140] or together with Catalan party heavyweights like Junyent, Roma, Gomis, Alier or Trias visiting local círculos.[141] Some of his engagements combined political and religious threads, e.g. when acting as treasurer in Junta Diocesana of Acción Católica branch[142] or co-organizing Fiesta de Santos Reyes.[143] During electoral campaign in early 1936 he appeared at meetings of Bloque Nacional.[144]

Neither any of historiographic works available[145] nor the press provides any clue as to Argemí's whereabouts during the civil war. Since Catalonia fell largely under the Anarchist control, he seemed a perfect target for revolutionary wrath: not merely a member of bourgeoisie, but also high administrative official, the owner of a large factory with long record in labor conflicts, promoter of competitive trade unions allegedly bent on killing CNT members, a Catholic activist and a Carlist. It is not clear whether he was spared or went into hiding, though he probably remained in Catalonia; on February 1, 1939, merely 6 days following the Nationalist takeover of Barcelona, he was received in the city by Jefe Provincial of Falange Española Tradicionalista.[146]

Francoism: diputación again (1939 and after)

Between 1939[147] and 1940[148] Argemí was noted as treasurer in executive of Junta Diocesana of Acción Católica. In the early 1940s he started to appear at official ceremonies. In 1942 he was acknowledged as taking part in Martires de la Tradición, a traditional Carlist function this time organized by Junta Provincial del Movimiento.[149] It seems he accepted amalgamation of Carlism within the Francoist state party FET: in early 1943, during another solemn service, he received from Sancho Dávila the Medalla de la Vieja Guardia of Movimiento, and was listed in the press as "antiguo carlista", among "más prestigiosas figuras del Tradicionalismo".[150] He co-led a campaign to celebrate the centenary of El Criterio by Jaime Balmes; first he organized a dedicated session in Vich and edited a later commemorative volume,[151] then in 1943 he entered Junta Ejecutiva, entrusted with organizing the appropriate observance in Barcelona.[152]

It is not entirely clear when Argemí was appointed to Comisión Gestora Provincional, a receivership which acted as Diputación Provincial; a single press note from January 1942 noted him as representing the body[153] yet later notes referred to him merely as "don Luis Argemi".[154] In December 1943 the civil governor nominated him to the renewed Diputación and appointed its president;[155] Argemí's first step was sending a ritual telegram message to Franco.[156] His term lasted barely more than 2 years, until January 1946.[157] The position and the entire body enjoyed little decision-making capacity, yet it is noted that as president he "championed the interests of the municipalities, unions and guilds; he fought to maintain the Diputación's income level to cover the maintenance costs of institutions under its care".[158] In 1944 he received Cruz de Honor de San Raimundo de Peñafort[159] and in 1946 Gran Cruz del Mérito Civil.[160] During a rare address which went beyond customary official speak he declared that "yo nunca me llamé demócrata" and castigated democracy founded on fraud, but admitted that was prepared to accept democracy founded on Christian principles, Decalogue and the Bible. A routine tribute to Caudillo followed.[161]

In 1946 Argemí was not appointed to the new Diputación. However, he did not fall from grace and at times took part in official events or visited local officials.[162] In 1947 the press mentioned him when voting in referendum on the Law of Succession to the Headship of the State;[163] in 1948 during a solemn ceremony his portrait was placed in the Diputación premises.[164] There is no information on any Carlist engagements;[165] in 1948 a carloctavista bulletin counted him among "amigos nuestros",[166] yet no source confirms he supported the carloctavista faction of Traditionalism.[167] Until death he was member of Junta Provincial de Protección de Menores,[168] honorary president of Asociación de Amigos de la Ciudad and councilor of Caja de Pensiones para Vejez y de Ahorros.[169] His funeral was attended by the civil governor, the president of diputación and the mayor of Barcelona.[170] In 1950 in Manresa a street was named after him; it bore his name until 2019.[171]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Apellido Argemi, [in:] Instituto de Historia Familiar service, available here
  2. ^ one was named Isidre Argemí Gneres, Fabrica Gallifa, [in:] Ajuntament de Sant Joan de Vilatorrada. Inventari de patrimoni cultural i natural, p. 59, available here
  3. ^ El Reino 22.10.59, available here
  4. ^ Les cinc fàbriques del grup Gallifa, a Manresa, [in:] Enciclopedia.cat service, available here
  5. ^ named Ignacio, José and Luis. For Ignacio see e.g. Diario de Barcelona 10.08.95, available here, for Jose see e.g. Llorenç Ferrer Alòs, Els contractistes del tren d’Olvan a Guardiola, [in:] L'Erol 156-157 (2023), p. 34 and La Correspondencia de España 21.10.74, available here
  6. ^ La Correspondencia de España 21.10.74, available here
  7. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  8. ^ Colleción Legislativa de España. Segundo semestre de 1874, Madrid 1875, p. 750
  9. ^ La Vanguardia 28.11.81
  10. ^ Diario de la Marina 09.08.05, available here
  11. ^ in a commemorative article he later recollected "la joya, durante ocho años guardada en el colegio, no era para este mundo", El Siglo Futuro 07.02.05, available here
  12. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  13. ^ Solidaridad Nacional 07.01.50, p. 5, available here
  14. ^ El Labaro 26.06.97, available here
  15. ^ Anuario del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administración 1899, p. 1061, available here
  16. ^ La Dinastía 27.10.00, available here
  17. ^ Anuario-Riera: guia general de Catalunya 1903, p. 824, available here
  18. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  19. ^ Francisco García Daza, Patrocinadores y promotores de Los Sindicatos Libres: La compañía Albiñana, Argemí y la Asociación de Hoteleros de Barcelona, [in:] SerHistorico service 24.01.23, available here, for exact date see La Vanguardia 26.04.01
  20. ^ Frederic married the sister of his business partner Joaquin Folch Solà, Joaquina Folch Sola, see Carlos García Pons, Business Longevity or the Business of Survival, [in:] The New Barcelona Post, available here
  21. ^ for image see Exterior view of the industrial alcohols factory of Folch, Albiñana y Compañía, [in:] Alamy service, available here
  22. ^ Revista Ilustrada de Banca, Ferrocarriles, Industria y Seguros 25.04.08, p. 193, available here
  23. ^ María Nieves Argemí Albiñana in 1946 married Mariano del Val, La Prensa 07.02.46, available here; María del Pilar Argemí Albiñana in 1931 married José M. Escofet Rodríguez, Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 23.01.50, available here
  24. ^ García Daza 2023
  25. ^ La Voz 21.06.23, available here
  26. ^ "tenia la fàbrica i el molí del Pont Vell o de Sant Pau des de 1899", Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  27. ^ Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, Expediente personal tab, available here
  28. ^ J.S., La fábrica de les Roques de Sant Pau (1970), [in:] El Pou service 19.06.20, available here
  29. ^ Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, Expediente personal tab, available here
  30. ^ see the notary statement reproduced in Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, Expediente personal tab, available here
  31. ^ García Daza 2023
  32. ^ its executive board consisted of José María Albiñana, Joaquín Albiñana, Luis Argemí and Mariano Miralles (Argemí's maternal relative); "dedicándose á la fabricación de un sustitutivo del blanco de zinc y del albayalde (denominado 'blanco Nevín') y á la elaboración de algunos otros productos químicos", Madrid Cientifico 1918, available here
  33. ^ Barcelona. Anuario de la Ciudad 1924, available here
  34. ^ La Hormiga de Oro 18.06.21, available here
  35. ^ other partners in the cartel were Orr’s Zinc White Limited from Britain, Maastrichtsche Zinkwit-Maatschappij from the Netherlands, Zinkhüttenbetrieb from Poland, and a few German companies, like IG Farben or Verein für Chemische und Metallurgische Produktion, Rolf Petri, Zwischen Konkurrenz und Kooperation. Die deutsche Chemieindustrie und das technologische Aufholen Italiens, [in:] Rolf Petri (ed.), Technologietransfer aus der deutschen Chemieindustrie (1925 – 1960), Berlin 2004, ISBN 3428113144, p. 263
  36. ^ El Día Gráfico 05.08.33, available here
  37. ^ El Día Gráfico 12.04.30, available here
  38. ^ El Día Gráfico 07.06.30, available here
  39. ^ El Día Gráfico 05.07.32, available here
  40. ^ El Día Gráfico 04.07.29, available here
  41. ^ Revista Ilustrada de Banca, Ferrocarriles, Industria y Seguros 10.12.09, available here
  42. ^ Revista Ilustrada de Banca, Ferrocarriles, Industria y Seguros 25.06.02, available here
  43. ^ Revista Ilustrada de Banca, Ferrocarriles, Industria y Seguros 10.12.09, available here
  44. ^ Anuario Garciceballos 1919-1920, available here
  45. ^ La Prensa 06.01.50, available here
  46. ^ Boletin Oficial de la Provincia de Tarragona 16.04.08, available here
  47. ^ Boletin Oficial de la Provincia de Tarragona 12.06.08, available here
  48. ^ named Cloratita, see Manel, El cable aeri de la mina Atrevida, [in:] Bosc de Poblet - Vimbodí service 13.02.24, available here. However, another source claims that Cloratita was set up by Pere de Bahí Taxonera and Francesc Calvo Renter, and does not mention Argemí, see Conxita Mir, Antonieta Jarne, Joan Sagués i Enric Vicedo (eds.), Diccionari biogràfic de les terres de Lleida. Política, economia, cultura i societat. Segle XX, Lleida 2010, ISBN 9788493771553, p. 112
  49. ^ Manel, El cable aeri de la mina Atrevida, [in:] Bosc de Poblet - Vimbodí service 13.02.24, available here
  50. ^ El Financiero 20.04.23, available here
  51. ^ La Ultima Hora 06.09.24, available here
  52. ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 03.02.41, available here. In 1944 Argemí was still in Consejo of La Hormiga, see La Prensa 20.07.44, available here. Perhaps his presence in La Hormiga should be considered a political rather than a business engagement. There were some earlier episodes of his press activity: in 1908 Argemí in Junta de Gobierno of La Regeneración, a newly launched but short-lived Catholic periodical, La Regeneracion 02.02.08, available here. Also in 1908 contributed to the local Carlist periodical in Manresa, El Amigo del Pueblo, see El Correo Español 20.06.08, available here
  53. ^ no representative of the Argemi family has been a single time mentioned in a monograph on Catalan Carlism of the late 19th century, compare Jordi Canal, El carlisme català dins l’Espanya de la Restauració. Un assaig de modernizació política (1888-1900), Vic 1998, ISBN 8476022433
  54. ^ or at least this is what appears in his later account, compare El Siglo Futuro 07.02.05, available here
  55. ^ El Globo 05.11.07, available here
  56. ^ La Lucha 12.04.07, available here
  57. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  58. ^ La Vanguardia 11.03.07
  59. ^ La Campana de Gracia 09.03.07, available here
  60. ^ España Nueva 14.02.07, available here
  61. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here. Argemí was among 6 carlists elected, La Cruz 14.03.07, available here
  62. ^ this time from another Barcelona district, Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  63. ^ La Epoca 02.03.11, available here
  64. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  65. ^ El Mundo 15.03.15, available here
  66. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  67. ^ Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here
  68. ^ official diputacion service mentions only the string of 1914-1915, see Argemí i de Martí, Lluís, [in:] Mancomunitat de Catalunya service, available here. However, the press reported that also in 1908 as "caracterizado centralista" he was elected vice-president of Comisión Provincil, namely thanks to votes of the Carlists, regionalists and monárquicos against Santiago Gubern of Centre Nacionalista Republicà, El Fusil 09.05.08, available here. Also in 1910 he was noted as vice-president, El Pueblo 25.06.10, available here
  69. ^ La Epoca 07.09.10, available here
  70. ^ Montserrat Figueras Pàmies, Apuntes iusfilosóficos en la Cataluña franquista (1939-1975), Lleida 2000, ISBN 9788484098270, p. 26
  71. ^ El Tiempo 04.07.12, available here
  72. ^ in 1910 he served as 2nd vice-president (the president was Solferino), El Correo Español 21.02.10, available here. In 1913 he was holding the job, La Ultima Hora 18.02.13, available here
  73. ^ the president was Solferino, La Bandera Regional 30.01.09, available here
  74. ^ El Eco de Navarra 28.03.11, available here
  75. ^ La Hormiga de Oro 04.07.08, available here
  76. ^ La Epoca 20.07.09, available here
  77. ^ El Correo Español 13.04.09, available here
  78. ^ El Correo Español 28.08.11, available here
  79. ^ El Correo Español 12.02.11, available here
  80. ^ El Correo Español 15.04.12, available here
  81. ^ La Correspondencia de España 06.01.13, available here
  82. ^ El Norte 17.11.16, available here
  83. ^ La Correspondencia de España 16.04.17, available here
  84. ^ El Universo 17.06.18, available here
  85. ^ El Correo Español 05.02.18, available here
  86. ^ El Correo Español 20.04.08, available here
  87. ^ La Correspondencia de Valencia 16.04.08, available here
  88. ^ Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, available here. Apart from Argemí, elected from Lérida, other Carlists elected from Catalonia to the senate were Junyent (Barcelona) and Iglesias (Gerona). Some earlier press notes might suggest that there were plans to get Argemí elected to the senate already in 1910, compare La Vanguardia 07.07.10
  89. ^ Diario de Barcelona 12.06.19, available here
  90. ^ Ejercito y Armada 14.06.19, available here
  91. ^ see the notary statement reproduced in Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, Expediente personal tab, available here
  92. ^ in November 1920 he was already noted as ex-senador, La Epoca 06.11.20, available here
  93. ^ La Tribuna 20.10.20, available here
  94. ^ El Nacional 20.01.22, available here
  95. ^ La Correspondencia de España 10.01.23, available here, El LIberal 10.04.23, available here
  96. ^ Argemí y de Martí, Luis, [in:] official Senado website, available here
  97. ^ El Pueblo Cantabro 09.01.20, available here
  98. ^ "y preguntaba a la cámara '¿Por qué en estas circunstancias no se ha de apelar a remedios extraordinarios?'", García Daza 2023
  99. ^ the press reported his consultations with the Madrid government, La Correspondencia de España 14.11.19, available here
  100. ^ La Epoca 08.01.20, available here
  101. ^ El Correo Español 21.05.08, available here
  102. ^ La Bandera Regional 20.02.09, available here
  103. ^ El Correo Español 27.05.10, available here2
  104. ^ El Siglo Futuro 10.10.10, available here
  105. ^ "Luís Argemí es quizás uno de los empresarios que más directamente estuvo vinculado a la formación y consolidación de los Sindicatos Libres, y a la vez el que más desapercibido ha pasado en la extensa historiografía sobre la época del pistolerismo", García Daza 2023. However, a monographic work on Sindicatos Libres does not mention Argemi, even though its author notes that "the development of Sindicalismo Libre is a complex and murky topic", compare Colin. M. Winston, Carlist workers groups in Catalonia, 1900-1923, [in:] Stanley G. Payne (ed.), Identidad y nacionalismo en la España contemporánea: el carlismo, 1833-1975, Madrid 2001, ISBN 8487863469, pp. 85-101. Neither his other work mentions Argemí, see Colin Winston, The Proletarian Carlist Road to Fascism: Sindicalismo Libre, [in:] Journal of Contemporary History 17/4 (1982), pp. 557-585
  106. ^ one author presents Sindicato Libre as creation of the Carlists pure and simple, with Junyent and Argemi its key promoters, see García Daza 2023
  107. ^ Andreu Navarra, Soledad Bengoechea: (1919) The distinct strategy of catalan employers, [in:] Educational Evidence 28.03.25, available here
  108. ^ García Daza 2023
  109. ^ theory advanced by the Anarchist periodical La Tarde, referred after García Daza 2023
  110. ^ Argemí was first time noted speaking about workers and unions in 1908, Navarra 2025
  111. ^ "Luís Argemí es quizás uno de los empresarios que más directamente estuvo vinculado a la formación y consolidación de los Sindicatos Libres, y a la vez el que más desapercibido ha pasado en la extensa historiografía sobre la época del pistolerismo", García Daza 2023
  112. ^ for suspected arson in his factory see La Correspondencia de España 07.11.15, available here
  113. ^ El Debate 13.09.16, available here
  114. ^ España Nueva 28.07.20, available here, also El Mundo 02.09.20, available here
  115. ^ La Prensa 06.01.21, available here, also La Libertad 08.01.21, available here
  116. ^ La Correspondencia de España 24.04.23, available here
  117. ^ La Voz 21.06.23, available here
  118. ^ El Noticiero 22.06.23, available here
  119. ^ with Sanz Escartín, Llorens, marques San Martín, conde Doña Marina, Noriega, Batlle, Garcia Guijarro, Iglesias, and Gonzalez de Careaga, El Mundo 14.09.08, available here
  120. ^ El Parlamentario 23.11.18, available here
  121. ^ compare the 1919 statement in Junta Nacional, referring the letter of Don Jaime, El Orzán 06.02.19, available here
  122. ^ he co-signed a communiqué which mentions "algunos que, llevados por el arrebato o la ofuscación, han introducido la discordia en el campo tradicionalista" and calls for loyalty; it was also signed by Junyent, Trias, Batlle, and Roma, Ramon M. Rodon Guinjoan, Josep Pedreny davant la Gran Guerra (1914-1918), [in:] Analecta Sacra Tarraconensia 90 (2017), p. 302. Once in 1919 Solferino resigned from Regional, the national jefé Pascual Comín dissolved the Catalan junta and nominated junta interina, composed of Junyent, Argemi, Trias, Batlle, and Roma, La Correspondencia de España 14.03.19, available here
  123. ^ speaking along Bilbao, Lorenzo Saenz and Larramendi, El Correo Español 23.01.20, available here
  124. ^ La Almudaina 09.11.22, available here
  125. ^ El Ejercito Español 18.01.23, available here
  126. ^ La Almudaina 09.11.22, available here
  127. ^ El Mundo 13.02.23, available here
  128. ^ El Heraldo de Madrid 10.04.23, available here
  129. ^ El Día Grafico 21.09.28, available here
  130. ^ see a ceremony in honor of a local Junta de Obra leader, La Hormiga de Oro 05.06.24, available here
  131. ^ for 1926 see La Vanguardia 15.12.26, for 1928 (when he served as padrino to 184 children) see El Día Grafico 17.10.28, available here
  132. ^ La Hormiga de Oro 03.07.30, available here7
  133. ^ La Vanguardia 31.05.25
  134. ^ a classic work on Carlism in the Second Republic does not contain a single reference to Argemí, compare Martin Blinkhorn, Carlism and Crisis in Spain, Cambridge 2008, ISBN 9780521086349
  135. ^ for composition of these bodies see Robert Vallverdú i Martí, El carlisme català durant la Segona República Espanyola 1931-1936, Barcelona 2008, ISBN 9788478260805, pp. 70, 122, 296
  136. ^ Vallverdú i Martí 2008, pp. 116, 120
  137. ^ Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 116
  138. ^ also candidates of Partido Radical got on average 16-17,000 votes. Only Bloc Obrer i Camperol and Paritdo Comunista fared worse, with 2-3,000 votes, El Dia Grafico 22.11.32, available here
  139. ^ El Cruzado Español 29.11.32, available here, also Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 120
  140. ^ La Cruz 28.02.33, available here
  141. ^ El Dia Grafico 04.07.33, available here
  142. ^ El Universo 20.12.35, available here, also El Debate 16.11.35, available here
  143. ^ El Siglo Futuro 09.01.36, available here
  144. ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 20.01.36, available here
  145. ^ e.g. the work on political repression in Catalonia during the wartime period, heavily centred upon Carlism, lists some individuals named Argemí as fatal victims of the terror, but none of them, including Luis Argemí Farrán, seems to be related to Luis Argemí, compare César Alcalá, La represión política en Cataluña (1936-1939), Madrid 2005, ISBN 8496281310, pp. 116-117, see also the chapter Los Argemí, [in:] Cesar Alcalá, Las checas del terror, Barcelona 2007, ISBN 9788496088597
  146. ^ La Vanguardia 01.02.39, available here
  147. ^ El Noticiero Universal 05.07.39, available here
  148. ^ El Noticiero Universal 22.04.40, available here
  149. ^ Solidaridad Nacional 11.03.42, available here
  150. ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 01.02.43, available here
  151. ^ compare Luis Argemi (ed.), Materiales balmesianos para la reconstrucción nacional, Vich 1942, available here
  152. ^ La Prensa 06.05.43, available here
  153. ^ La Prensa 26.01.42, available here
  154. ^ in the press of era, usually very meticulous when listing all official titles of individuals referred, he should have been listed as "member of provincial deputation", not as "don Luis Argemi", compare Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 01.02.43, available here, also La Prensa 22.12.43, available here
  155. ^ La Prensa 23.12.43, available here
  156. ^ La Prensa 24.12.43, available here
  157. ^ Las presidencias de la Diputación de Barcelona, [in:] official Diputación Provincial service, available here
  158. ^ "nombrado presidente de la Comisión Gestora, cargo que ejerció hasta enero de 1946, fecha de la renovación de la Corporación. Como presidente se propuso la defensa de los intereses de los municipios, así como también la de los sindicatos y la de los gremios. Luchó para mantener el nivel de ingresos de la Diputación para hacer frente a los gastos de mantenimiento de las instituciones a cargo de la Corporación", Luis Argemí i Martí, [in:] Las Presidencias de la Diputación de Barcelona service, available here
  159. ^ BOE 26/03/44, available here
  160. ^ La Prensa 22.01.46, available here
  161. ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 19.11.45, available here
  162. ^ La Prensa 26.07.46, available here, also La Prensa 13.11.46, available here; in 1949 he took part in a recepción at ayuntamiento, Hoja de Lunes 11.07.49, available here
  163. ^ Hoja Oficial de la Provincia de Barcelona 07.07.47, available here
  164. ^ La Prensa 26.02.48, available here
  165. ^ none of the works dealing with post-war Catalan Carlism mentions his name, compare César Alcalá, D. Mauricio de Sivatte. Una biografía política (1901-1980), Barcelona 2001, ISBN 8493109797, Robert Vallverdú i Martí, La metamorfosi del carlisme català: del "Déu, Pàtria i Rei" a l'Assamblea de Catalunya (1936-1975), Barcelona 2014, ISBN 9788498837261
  166. ^ Requetés de Cataluña II/48, available here
  167. ^ a monographic work on Carloctavismo does not mention Argemí, compare Francisco de las Heras y Borrero, Un pretendiente desconocido. Carlos de Habsburgo. El otro candidato de Franco, Madrid 2004, ISBN 8497725565, also Iñigo Bolinaga Irasuegui, El carloctavismo, [in:] Historia 16/370 (2007), pp. 78–87; Francisco de las Heras y Borrero, El archiduque Carlos de Habsburgo-Lorena y de Borbón, [in:] Historia y Vida 180 (1983), pp. 26–35; José Maria de Montells y Galán, La Otra Dinastia, 1833–1975, Madrid 1995, ISBN 8492001658; Joan Maria Thomàs, Carlisme Barceloní als anys quarenta: „Sivattistes”, „Unificats”, „Octavistes”, [in:] L’Avenc 212 (1992), pp. 12–17
  168. ^ La Prensa 29.01.49, available here
  169. ^ La Prensa 06.01.50, available here
  170. ^ Solidaridad Nacional 08.01.50, available here
  171. ^ the ayuntamiento withdrew all honors, "que son bàsicament relacionats amb el seu servei al règim franquista"; the street was re-named to honor Ignasi Domènech i Puigcercós, L'Ajuntament de Manresa bateja dos carrers de la ciutat amb els noms de Pilar Bertran Vallès i Ignasi Domènech Puigcercós i retira els honors a Lluís Argemí de Martí, [in:] Ajuntament de Manresa service 18.04.19, available here

Further reading

  • Robert Vallverdú i Martí, El carlisme català durant la Segona República Espanyola 1931-1936, Barcelona 2008, ISBN 9788478260805
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.