Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado
Spanish Army officer and politician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, 1st Marquess of Gutiérrez Mellado (30 April 1912 – 15 December 1995) was a Spanish Army officer and politician who played a relevant role during the Spanish transition to democracy.
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Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado | |
|---|---|
 Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado in 1980 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 23 September 1976 – 26 February 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Fernando de Santiago |
| Succeeded by | Rodolfo Martín Villa |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún |
| Chief of Staff of the Army | |
| In office 7 July 1976 – 23 September 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Emilio Villaescusa Quilis |
| Succeeded by | Ramón Cuadra Medina |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado (1912-04-30)30 April 1912 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 15 December 1995(1995-12-15) (aged 83) Torremocha del Campo, Spain |
| Resting place | Villaviciosa de Odón cemetery |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | FE de las JONS (1935–1937) FET y de las JONS (1937–1977) |
| Spouse | Carmen Blasco Sancho |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Military |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Spain |
| Branch/service | Army |
| Rank | Captain General |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit[1] |
During his military career he served in relevant Army offices and he joined the political career in 1976, when the Prime Minister appointed him as First Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs. From 1977 to 1979 he also served as Minister of Defence (the first since the Civil War).[2]
In 1994, the socialist government of Felipe González granted him the honorary rank of Captain General.
Gutiérrez Mellado's most popular image is that at the Spanish Congress of the Deputies during the failed 1981 Spanish coup d'état, physically confronting the armed Guardia Civil troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero.