Enrique Fuentes Quintana (1924 – 2007) was a Spanish economist, academic and politician, who served as deputy prime minister of Spain between 1977 and 1979 in the first cabinet after the Francoist State.
Enrique Fuentes Quintana | |
---|---|
Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain | |
In office 5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978 | |
Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
Preceded by | Alfonso Osorio |
Succeeded by | Fernando Abril Martorell |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 December 1924 Carrión de los Condes (Palencia), Spain |
Died | 6 June 2007 Madrid, Spain | (aged 82)
Political party | Independent |
Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
Fuentes was born in Carrión de los Condes, Palencia, on 13 December 1924.[1] His family were mostly jurists and farmers.[2] He held a bachelor's degree in law (1948) and a PhD in political science and economics (1956), both of which he received from the University of Complutense in Madrid.[1]
Fuentes taught economics at different universities, namely the University of Valladolid (1956 – 1958), the Complutense University of Madrid (1958 – 1978) and at the National University of Distance Education (UNED; 1978 – 1990).[1][3] He was one of the economists credited with the success of Spanish economy in the 1960s.[3] He served as the head of the research department at the Ministry of Finance.[4] He was also the editor of a reformist monthly magazine, Información Comercial Española.[4] In 1969, he became the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.[5] He served as the president of the Bank of Spain.[3]
Fuentes was appointed deputy prime minister for economy to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez in 1977.[6] Fuentes developed a rationalization program in 1977 which constituted the basis for Spain to have an opportunity to be granted EEC membership.[7] He was in office until 22 February 1978 when he resigned from office due to his marginalization in the cabinet.[8][9] Fuentes tried to follow the promises of the structural reforms in economy which were included in the Moncloa Pacts.[10] These reforms required to reduce the production of steel and to nationalize the production of electricity among the others.[8] However, Fuentes's initiatives were not backed by conservatives supporting the cabinet, leading to his resignation.[8] Fernando Abril Martorell succeeded him as deputy prime minister.[8] Fuentes's resignation was one of the reasons for the cabinet to adopt much more right-wing policies.[10] After leaving office Fuentes returned to teaching post and became emeritus professor at UNED.[10]
In 1989 Fuentes was awarded the Asturias Award for social sciences.[11]
Fuentes died of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 82 in Madrid on 6 June 2007.[2]