Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in the country's transition to democracy after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

When Spain was still an autocratic regime, he was appointed prime minister by King Juan Carlos in 1976. At the time of his appointment, he was not a well-known figure, making many political forces skeptical of his government. However, he oversaw the end of the Francoist Cortes, and the legalisation of all political parties (including the Communist Party of Spain, a particularly difficult move). He led the Union of the Democratic Centre and won the 1977 general election. In 1981, he resigned and founded the party Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), which was elected to the Cortes numerous times. He retired from politics in 1991 and from public life in 2003, due to Alzheimer's disease.

Early life

Adolfo Suárez González was born on 25 September 1932 in Cebreros in the Province of Ávila of Spain, the eldest son of Hipólito Suárez Guerra, a lawyer, and Herminia González Prados. Both of his parents supported the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. At the age of 18, Suárez was president of the Ávila chapter of Catholic Action. He also worked briefly as a porter at Madrid's Atocha railway station. Nevertheless, it was noted that due to his age (he turned 7 years old the year that the civil war ended), Suárez was not as strongly associated with the bloody Civil War or the most brutal years of Franco's rule as the older politicians. thus distancing Spain from the Francoist-influenced military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Suárez's centrist government instituted further democratic reforms. A new constitution, which recognised Spain as a constitutional monarchy, was approved by a referendum in December 1978. He retired from active politics in 1991, for personal reasons. He was also a member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization (based in Madrid) that is composed of more than 80 former democratic Prime Ministers and Presidents. The group works to strengthen democratic governance and leadership.

Illness and death

thumb|Suarez's grave in the cloister of [[Ávila Cathedral]]

On 31 May 2005, Suárez's son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, announced on Spanish television that his father was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The announcement followed speculation about Suárez's health in the Spanish media. On 21 March 2014, his son announced that his death from neurological deterioration was imminent. Suárez then died as a result of a respiratory infection on 23 March 2014 in a clinic in Madrid. Suarez was given a state funeral and was buried in the cloister of Ávila Cathedral.

Pope Francis shared his condolences, saying: "In fraternal suffrage with you all, I make fervent prayers to the Lord for the eternal rest of this esteemed and feature figure of the recent history of Spain."

On 26 March 2014, the Spanish government decided to rename the Madrid-Barajas Airport to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport in honour of his service to the country.

Allegations of sexual abuse against a teenager

In December 2025 a woman accused Suárez of sexual abuse between 1982–1985, beginning when she was seventeen and still a minor, and Suárez was about fifty.

Family

thumb|upright|Suárez and his wife, Amparo Illana, at the [[Palace of Moncloa in 1979]]

Suárez married María del Amparo Illana Elórtegui in 1961. She died from cancer on 17 May 2001. Their eldest daughter, María del Amparo ("Mariam") Suárez Illana (1962–2004), died of breast cancer on 6 March 2004, following an 11-year illness. Both of her younger sisters also suffered from the same illness.

Suárez's eldest son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, is a politician and lawyer who is heavily involved with the world of bullfighting; he has two sons. Suárez had two more children, his daughter Laura and his son Francisco Javier; both remain unmarried.

Honours

Decorations

National

  • 70px 1,193rd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (8 June 2007).
  • 70px Collar of the Order of Charles III (Posthumously) (24 March 2014).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (23 June 1978).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (29 September 1973).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (18 July 1969).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (1 April 1970).
  • 70px Commander's Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (1 April 1967).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit (1 April 1972).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Cisneros (18 July 1972).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of the Yoke and the Arrows (4 July 1975).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Military Merit with White Decoration (14 September 1970).

Foreign

  • :
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (20 April 1978).
  • 70px Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (22 February 1996).
  • Gold Medal of Ávila (12 February 1981). <small>Received on 9 June 2005</small>.
  • Adopted Son of Ávila (12 February 1981). <small>Received on 9 June 2005</small>.
  • Gold Medal of Madrid (30 November 1995). <small>Received on 10 November 1998</small>.
  • Honorary Degree by the Complutense University of Madrid (28 May 1996).
  • Prince of Asturias Concord Award (13 September 1996).
  • Coexistence Award of Ceuta (30 April 1999).
  • Gold Medal of Castilla y León (22 March 1997).
  • Medal of Honor of Madrid (15 May 2011).
  • Adopted Son of Madrid (Posthumous, 27 March 2014).

Arms

See also

  • Puedo prometer y prometo
  • Politics of Spain

References

  • Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)
  • Tribute to Adolfo Suárez: Guestbook