Manuel Simó Marín (1868-1936) was a Spanish right-wing politician. Until 1919 for some 30 years he remained engaged in Carlism; in 1909-1917 he was heading the regional Valencian branch of the movement and formed part of the national Carlist executive. Following brief attempts to build a Christian-democratic party in the early 1920s, in the 1930s he emerged among leaders of Derecha Regional Valenciana. His political career climaxed in 1914–1916, when during one term he served in Congreso de los Diputados, the lower chamber of the Cortes. During few strings he was also member of the Valencian Diputación Provincial (elected or nominated in 1905, 1921, 1930 and 1934) and the Valencian ayuntamiento (elected in 1899, 1911, and 1931). He is also known as founder of the local daily, Diario de Valencia.
Family and youth
The Simó family has been noted already in the Middle Ages,Simó entry, [in:] Heráldica Valenciana service, available here first recorded in Aragón, Catalonia, at the Levantine coast and the Baleares.Simó entry, [in:] Instituto de Historia Familiar service, available here Over centuries it got very branched, yet none of the sources consulted provides information on distant Manuel's ancestors. One historian claims that he originated from "a rich family of landholders" traditionally related to the city of Onteniente (Valencia province);Montiel Balaguer Navarro, Cultura arquitectónica de la fábrica La Paduana SA de Ontinyent (Vall d’Abadia), [in:] Lluis J. de Cisneros (ed.), Actes de les V Jornades d’Arqueologia Industrial de Catalunya, Barcelona 2002, ISBN 8426713327, p. 476. Another scholar notes Onfore Simó de la Llança, a military from Onteniente active in the late 18th century, and his son José Simó de la Llança, "terratinent i advocat, el primer advocat col.legiat d’Ontinyent", active as lawyer in the 1810s, Emili Casanova, Dues situacions i una conseqüència, [in:] Milagros Aleza Izquierdo (ed.), Estudios de Historia de la lengua española en América y España, Valencia 1999, ISBN 9788437039350, p. 149. However, it is not clear whether they were ascendants of Manuel Simó its descendant was his father, José Simó TortosaBalaguer Navarro 2002, p. 476 (died before 1917in 1917 his wife was referred to as widow, Diario de Valencia 08.06.17, available here). He also owned land in the area; in 1860 as “expositor e invitado” he took part in Exposición General de Valencia, organized by Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Valencia. Apparently a lawyer by education, he became a prestigious local personality; in the late 1860s he acted as "abogado suplente" and "juez de paz" in Onteniente.Marcelo Martínez Alcubilla, Diccionario de la administración española, peninsular y ultramarina, Madrid 1868, s. 558 At unspecified time he married Elisa Marín García Maestre y Osca (died 1925);Diario de Valencia 22.12.25, available here there is nothing known either of her or of her family. The couple lived in Onteniente and had at least three children: Manuel, José and Carmen.
Following early education in his early teens Manuel entered the Jesuit Colegio de San José, where he was noted in 1884El Siglo Futuro 05.05.84, available here and where he obtained the baccalaureate.Enrique Lull Martí, Jesuitas y pedagogía. El Colegio San José en la Valencia de los años veinte, Valencia 1997, ISBN 9788489708167, p. 686 At unspecified time, though probably in the late 1880s, he entered the faculty of law at the University of Valencia; according to some sources he graduated in 1892,Manuel Simó i Marín entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia Catalana service, available here, José Antonio Piqueras Arenas, Xavier Paniagua Fuentes (eds.), Diccionario biográfico de políticos valencianos (1810-2005), Valencia 2005, ISBN 9788478223862, p. 527 though according to the press in 1893 he was still frequenting comparative law lectures.El Heraldo de Madrid 18.07.93, available here One author claims he graduated also in philosophy and letters,Melchor Ferrer, Historia del tradicionalismo español, vol. XXIX, Seville 1960, p. 36 though this information is not confirmed elsewhere. It is not clear when he started to practice and what sort of job he held. In the mid-1890s the press referred to him as "joven abogado"El Regional 15.04.97, available here and it is known that he appeared in the local Audiencia Provincial,El Regional 02.05.97, available here also in proceedings related to murder.El Regional 27.06.97, available here
At unspecified time Simó Marín married María Attard Serrano (in some spelling versions Atard,compare e.g. Eduard Atard i Llobell entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia Catalana service, available here. However, the family apparently prefers the "Attard" version, compare e.g. the obituary note of Simó's daughter, Conchita Simó Attard, ABC 19.05.85, available here died after 1959).in 1959 she funded a stipend for children of workers in "La Paduana", ABC 09.10.1959, available here. Some sources claim that her name was María Attard Belda, Manuel Jesús González y González, Manuel de Torres Martínez entry, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here, which appears to be the name of her paternal cousin She was daughter to a prestigious Valencian lawyer and notary, Manuel Attard Llobell;Valencia a Liria: de vía ancha, [in:] EuroFerroviarios service, available here his brothers and paternal uncles of María, Rafael and Eduardo Attard Llobell, were Levantine conservative deputies to the Cortes in the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s.Atard y Llobell, Eduardo entry, [in:] Cortes official service, available here, also Atard y Llobell, Rafael entry, [in:] Cortes official service, available here The couple settled in Valencia.apparently Simó retained some property in Onteniente, as he used to spend summer holidays there, Diario de Valencia 04.05.17, available here They had 5 children: Manuel, José, Eduardo, Elisa and Concepción.María Attard Serano entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here In the 1930s some of them were active in Catholic politics,Mediterraneo 11.06.85, available here though none assumed a major role; José and Eduardo were executed by workers’ militia during outbreak of the revolutionary terror in 1936.Vicent Gabarda Cebellán, La represión en la retaguardia republicana. País Valenciano, 1936-1939, Valencia 1996, p. 282 The best known Simó Marín's relative was his younger brother José Simó Marín, also shot in 1936; he co-founded and managed a textile factory which was later owned by the family. As "La Paduana" it became the Onteniente industrial point of reference for almost 100 years.the iconic "La Paduana" product was its blankets, and the brand was known across all Spain, Javier Barraycoa, Eso no estaba en mi libro de historia del Carlismo, Barcelona 2019, ISBN 9788417954079, p. 77. The factory closed in 2012, few years before its hundredth birth anniversary, see Josep Antoni Mollà, Paduana o el final de un símbolo, [in:] Levante 19.07.12, available here. However, the factory was re-opened in 2021 and is now operational, see its corporate site here Simó Marín's son-in-law, Manuel Torres Martínez, was a well-known jurist, academic and economist.Manuel de Torres Martínez entry, [in:] Real Academia de Historia service, available here
Early Carlist career (1890-1909)
The Simó family have been related to Carlism; Manuel's paternal uncle Faustino Simó Tortosa reportedlyBalaguer Navarro 2002, p. 476. Dates hardly match; Carlos V died in 1855, while Faustino Simó Tortosa remained politically active in 1910 served as personal secretary to the claimant Carlos V and was engaged in Carlist structures also much later;he was president of the Junta del distrito in 1910, El Correo Español 09.06.10, available here this was the case also of another uncle, Manuel Simó Tortosa.for 1903 see Revista de Gandia 13.06.03, available here Faustino Simó used to employ adolescent nephews as his "ayudantes" when going about his party business.Balaguer Navarro 2002, p. 476 First information on Manuel's public engagements are dated 1890, when he was giving lectures at meetings of Juventud Católica de Valencia.La Unión Católica 17.12.90, available here In 1892 he was noted as active in Círculo Carlista in OntenienteEl Correo Español 12.01.92, available here and in Valencia;El Correo Español 28.07.92, available here in 1893 he grew to president of Juventud Carlista Valenciana.El Correo Español 19.05.96, available here In 1896 the Carlist provincial executive nominated Simó, at the time a young lawyer, the candidate in elections to Diputación Provincial from the Valencian district of Serranos;El Correo Español 25.08.96, available here he lost.El Pueblo 30.04.15, available here In 1897 he became presidente honorario of the regional Juventud Tradicionalista.El Regional 07.12.97, available here In 1899 he ran from the Audiencia district to the Valencian municipal council and emerged successful; he was one of 3 Carlist councilors in the ayuntamiento.Las Provincias 15.05.99, available here
Simó's position in the local party ranks was already firm; when jefé provincial Manuel Polo y Peyrolón resigned in 1902, Simó briefly replaced him as acting president.presidente accidental, Luz Católica 06.11.02, available here He served in the town hall at least until 1903,it was the last time when he was identified in the press as consejal, La Correspondencia de Alicante 01.12.03, available here was active in Catholic organisationsLa Correspondencia de Valencia 10.05.04, available here and kept progressing his juridical career.La Correspondencia de Valencia 22.07.03, available here In 1905 he renewed his bid for a seat in Diputación Provincial, again from Serranos;El Correo Español 13.03.05, available here this time he emerged as the most-voted candidate in the district.La Correspondencia de Valencia 16.03.05, available here Already the provincial party deputy leader, when in 1907 he was co-launching a new periodical, named El Guerillero, Simó declared that “la táctica del guerrillero sea nuestra norma de conducta. Guerra implacable, sin tregua ni cuartel al liberalismo en todas sus manifestaciones”.El Correo Español 01.04.07, available here
There is close to nothing known about Simó's labors as diputado provincial. His term expired in 1908; when trying to renew it the same year, he failed.Simó got 5.058 votes and came 4th, the winner got 9.068 votes, La Correspondencia de Valencia 24.12.08, available here As treasurer of Consejo de la Casa de los Obreros he demonstrated interest in social question,La Correspondencia de Valencia 25.05.08, available here which would later become his personal mark. Despite earlier friendly co-operation, in the regional party executive his relations with jefé regional Polo y Peyrolon were deteriorating; both him and the Castellón jefé provincial, Joaquín Llorens Fernandez, started to resent Polo for his allegedly adamant leadership style and political intransigence.Javier Urcelay Alonso, Introducción, [in:] Memorias políticas de M. Polo y Peyrolón (1870-1913), Madrid 2013, ISBN 9788499405872, pp. 17-18 On the other hand, Polo was critical about Simó’s advances towards the Valencian Capitán General Ramón Echagüe, perceived by Simó as an ally against the radical left; to Polo, never oblivious of Echagüe’s Alfonsist preferences, these advances went way too far.Javier Esteve Martí, El carlismo ante la reorganización de las derechas. De la Segunda Guerra Carlista a la Guerra Civil, [in:] Pasado y Memoria 13 (2014), pp. 122-123 When in 1909 the Carlist king Carlos VII died, in what he thought a purely procedural gesture Polo handed his resignation to the new claimant, Jaime III. He was shocked to see it accepted;Manuel Polo y Peyrolón, Memorias políticas, Madrid 2013, ISBN 9788499405872, pp. 289-296 it was Simó nominated the new regional Valencian leader.El Correo Español 11.10.09, available here
Political climax (1909-1916)