Manuel Lezama Leguizamón Sagarminaga

Marcos Sergio Bautista Manuel de Lezama Leguizamón Sagarminaga
Born	1862 Vascongadas, Spain
Died	1924
Occupation(s)	Industrialist, politician
Known for	Expansion of family mining empire; leadership in Carlist politics in Biscay; senator (1921–1923)

Marcos Sergio Bautista Manuel de Lezama Leguizamón Sagarminaga (1862–1924) was a Spanish industrialist and political figure who expanded his family's mining empire, which controlled deposits of iron ore, coal, fluorite, anhydrite, and plaster across Vascongadas and Asturias. Politically aligned with the Traditionalists, he led the Carlist provincial organization in Biscay during the 1910s before affiliating with the Mellista faction in 1919. His political prominence culminated between 1921 and 1923 when he served two terms as a senator. Prior to this, he held positions in the Biscay Diputación Provincial (1907–1911) and the Bilbao municipal council (1893–1897).

Family and youth

The Lezama family ranks among the oldest lineages in Vascongadas, tracing back to the 12th century, with one branch establishing itself in Biscay. Historically, they were significant landowners and merchants who also provided military supplies. Manuel’s great-grandfather, Juan Antonio de Lezama Jugo, was the first to unite the Lezama and Leguizamón surnames, connecting to a once-prominent but declining family branch from Etxebarri, where they possessed a distinguished mansion. His grandfather, Gregorio Lezama Leguizamón Eguia (1781–1857), transformed the family into industrial magnates through ownership of ironworks and acquisition of mining rights amid Biscay’s industrial revolution.

Manuel’s father, Manuel Lezama Leguizamón Aldama (1817–1884), further expanded mining concessions and developed one of Biscay’s leading industrial conglomerates. He married María Concepción Sagarminaga Zabala, a member of an esteemed Basque family. Their sons, Manuel (the elder) and Luis, inherited approximately 101 hectares of land; Manuel was prepared to assume leadership of the family enterprises and pursued legal studies.

Following their father’s passing, Manuel and Luis founded Hijos de Lezama Leguizamón to oversee their inherited businesses. In 1892, Manuel married María de la Soledad Ampuero y del Río (1871–1938), daughter of José María Ampuero Jáuregui—a prominent landowner and Carlist politician who controlled 530 hectares in Biscay. The couple initially resided at the Lezama estate in Etxebarri before relocating to Bilbao; they did not have children.

Luis, Manuel’s younger brother, was also a notable businessman and a Carlist leader in Biscay during the early 1930s. Several of Manuel’s nephews fought as requetés during the Spanish Civil War; notably, Fernando Lezama Leguizamón Zuazola remained active in Carlist circles into the late 1960s. Additionally, Manuel’s brother-in-law José Joaquín Ampuero y del Río was a prominent Basque entrepreneur and Traditionalist politician.

Entrepreneur

Together with his brother Luis, Manuel co-managed Hijos de Lezama Leguizamón-Negocios de Minería, overseeing inherited open-pit iron ore mines located in Etxebarri and Ollargan. By the late 1890s, they had obtained five more mining permits across Bilbao, Gueñes, and Triano, placing them sixth among Biscay’s concession holders. In 1895, they sold Sociedad Coto Minero de Ollargan for one million pesetas and expanded into anthracite coal mining in Asturias during the early 20th century by acquiring concessions such as Demasía a Colunga (1903) and Encarnación (1915). Their portfolio included coal as well as fluorite, plaster, and anhydrite deposits.

At their operational peak, the Lezamas controlled fifteen mines throughout Biscay and Asturias. Among their principal assets was the "Abandonada" open-pit iron ore mine in Miribilla—one of Biscay's largest—alongside others including "Carmen," "Diana," and "La Pobre," some equipped with advanced transport systems and washing plants servicing neighboring sites. The conglomerate accounted for approximately 5–6% of Biscay's iron ore production, yielding over 110,000 tons even during World War I. Despite industry trends in the 1920s that favored bank ownership over family-run enterprises, the Lezamas retained control amidst legal conflicts with local authorities and investigations extending to Britain.

Beyond mining operations, Manuel held shares and served on the executive board of La Robla railway since the mid-1890s—a line connecting Bilbao with León and Palencia. During the 1910s, he contributed to projects regulating the Nervion River vital for ore transportation. He also occupied leadership roles within Banco de Comercio de Bilbao and Banco de Bilbao, serving multiple times as rotating president between 1899 and 1924. His business interests extended to Sociedad Hispano-Portugesa de Transportes Eléctricos (focused on electricity export), maritime shipping via Martiartu S.A., and Canadian construction projects through Sociedad Estudios y Obras de Ingeniería.

Although not ranked among Biscay's foremost industrial families like Ybarra or Chávarri, the Lezama Leguizamóns were integral members of the emerging Basque oligarchy influential during early 20th-century industrial growth. Their corporate footprint was significant within Bilbao’s commercial environment, exemplified by Casa Lezama-Leguizamón—a central city estate housing several corporate offices that reflected architecture financed by industrial wealth. Their properties also included estates on Bilbao’s outskirts and in Getxo.

Consejal and diputado (1890s and 1900s)

Lezama's paternal grandfather was an active Liberal opponent of the Carlist movement, whereas his father remained apolitical. The precise reasons behind Manuel and Luis's adoption of Carlism are not well documented; some accounts reference a cousin who died fighting for the legitimist cause. Lezama's earliest recorded political involvement dates back to 1892, when he undertook a honeymoon trip to Venice to pay tribute to Carlos VII. In 1893, he secured election to the Bilbao city council as a Traditionalist representative from the Old Town district, placing third with 438 votes. Beginning in 1894, he held the position of deputy mayor, managing Bilbao Vieja and participating in committees focused on governance, industry, statistics, and social welfare. His council tenure lasted four years; by 1897 he was no longer part of the municipal administration for reasons that remain unclear.

In 1901, the Lezama siblings co-established La Gaceta del Norte, a Catholic newspaper opposing secular policies and the liberal Canalejas government, particularly criticizing the Ley de Asociaciones. They maintained significant ownership stakes into the late 1910s, with Luis actively involved in its management. Additionally, they promoted Basque cultural endeavors, co-founded Catholic educational institutions in Etxebarri, and financed local church construction projects. Manuel's Traditionalist commitments included hosting theorist Juan Vázquez de Mella in 1903, communicating with Carlist leaders, sponsoring literary awards, and presiding over party gatherings.

In 1907, Lezama stood for election to Biscay's provincial governing body, Diputación Provincial, running under the Coalición Católica alliance that united Basque nationalists and Integrists; the coalition won and he secured a seat. Although specific details about his responsibilities are limited, he remained engaged in Carlist leadership and activities at least until 1909. His term concluded in 1911; whether he sought re-election or chose to step down is unknown, but he did not return to public office thereafter.

Mellista and senador (1910s and 1920s)

Starting in 1913, Lezama assumed the presidency of Junta Legitimista de Vizcaya, the provincial Carlist executive committee. That same year, he and his brother Luis visited Paris to pay respects to Carlist claimant Don Jaime. His leadership style was traditionalist; he presided over local events such as Velada Jaimista in Durango, attended banquets honoring party figures like Vascongadas leader Tirso de Olazabal in 1914, and hosted Carlist royalty including princesses Fabiola and Nieves during their visit to Bilbao in 1917. His focus remained primarily on Biscay affairs, with little presence in wider Carlist political developments.

Lezama maintained a close relationship with theorist de Mella from the early 1900s onward, inviting him to Bilbao during the 1910s despite security concerns that required Civil Guard protection. In 1916, Lezama accompanied de Mella to Asturias for commemorations of the Battle of Covadonga. As tensions mounted between de Mella and Don Jaime within Carlism, the Lezamas aligned with de Mella due to personal connections and agreement with his broader political alliance approach. Following the party split in 1919, when Mellistas established a separate faction, the brothers joined this group with Manuel serving on its provincial executive.

In 1920, Lezama helped found Liga Monárquica to contest Senate elections; initially de Mella was listed as candidate but withdrew and was replaced by Lezama. All monarchist candidates secured comfortable victories in 1921. Records provide little insight into Lezama’s Senate contributions; official documents indicate no recorded interventions. His tenure was short-lived due to early parliamentary dissolution.

During the 1923 electoral campaign, Liga Monárquica renewed its Biscay alliance incorporating Conservative and Romanonista candidates; Lezama topped the vote count with 201 votes. This second term ended abruptly following Primo de Rivera’s coup which disbanded the Cortes.

In 1924, both Lezama brothers endorsed a manifesto supporting Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship while emphasizing that Traditionalists could not accept the constitution of 1876 but recommended joining Unión Patriótica.

See also

• Spanish Traditionalism
• Carlism
• Mellismo
• Luis Lezama Leguizamón Sagarminaga
• Lezama-Leguizamon House

Further reading

• Pablo Díaz Morlán, La evolución de la oligarquía vizcaína, 1872–1936. Un intento de intepretación y síntesis, published in Ekonomiaz: Revista vasca de economía 54 (2003), pages 12–27
• Antonio Escudero, La minería vizcaína durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, featured in Revista de Historia Económica 4/2 (1986), pages 365–387
• J. Saiz de Omeñaca, I. Ereño, K. Atxabal, I. Azurmendi, Mitigation of adverse effects at the Lezama-Leguizamon abandoned open-pit mine (Bilbao, northern Spain), appearing in Environmental Geology 22 (1993), pages 10–12
• José Luis Orella, La Gaceta del Norte, la espada laica de la Compañía de Jesús, included in Aportes 51 (2003), pages 49–62
• José Eugenio Villar, Beatriz Herreras Moratinos, Antonio Hernández Almaraz, La industria del agua en la CAV. Ingeniería y Patrimonio, Bilbao 2008

External links

• Genealogical background of the Lezama family at Euskalnet
• Digital archive of La Gaceta del Norte at Biscay library
• Profile of Lezama on the Spanish Senate official website
• Por Dios y por España, period Carlist propaganda video