Rafael María de Labra y Cadrana (7 September 1840 – 16 April 1918) was a Spanish krausist educator, activist, lawyer, lecturer, Republican politician and author. He served two times as Rector of the
Institución Libre de Enseñanza
The Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE, English: ''Free Teaching Institution'') was a pedagogical experience developed in Spain for more than half a century (1876–1939). It was inspired by the Krausism, Krausist philosophy introduced at the Co ...
. A noted
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
, he was a key figure in the campaign for the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Biography
Born in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.1812 Constitution who had been exiled during the
Ominous Decade
The Ominous Decade (Spanish language: ''Década Ominosa'') is a term for the last ten years of the reign of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, dating from the abolition of the Spanish Constitution of 1812, on 1 October 1823, to his death on 29 Septemb ...
, destined to
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in 1836).
Rafael moved to
Mainland Spain
Peninsular Spain is the part of the territory of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and several islets and crags off the coast of Morocco kno ...
in 1849 with his family, establishing early in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
after briefly passing by
Almería
Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...
and
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
. A teenage Labra joined the
Ateneo de Madrid
The Ateneo de Madrid ("Athenæum of Madrid") is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain that was founded in 1835. Its full name is ''Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid'' ("Scientific, Literary and Artistic ...
as member on 15 November 1857. He was the founder (or editor) of a number of newspapers such as ''La Tribuna'', ''El Correo de España'' or ''El Correo de Ultramar''.
He took studies at the Central University of Madrid, where he became a disciple of , and ; he earned a
licentiate degree
A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels.
The Licentiate (Pontifical Degree) is a post graduate degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universitie ...
in Philosophy and Letters in 1858, Administrative Law (1862) and Civil and Canon Law (1862).
His "dangerous or condemnable ideas" on colonial policies prevented him from becoming a university professor. A member of the Spanish Abolitionist Society, Labra became its president in 1869.
He became a member of the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has ...
after the 1871 election, in representation of the district of Infiesto (Asturias). He would earn again a seat as member of the Lower House in representation of Sabana Grande (Puerto Rico; 1872; 1874); Havana (1879) and Santa Clara (Cuba; 1885).
He was also a member of the
Spanish Senate
The Senate () is the upper house of the , which along with the Congress of Deputies – the Lower house, lower chamber – comprises the Parliament of the Kingdom of Spain. The Senate meets in the Palacio del Senado, Palace of the Senate in Madri ...
, elected in representation of the
University of Havana
The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...
and in representation of the ''Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de León''.
Labra's first tenure as president of the
Institución Libre de Enseñanza
The Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE, English: ''Free Teaching Institution'') was a pedagogical experience developed in Spain for more than half a century (1876–1939). It was inspired by the Krausism, Krausist philosophy introduced at the Co ...
(ILE) lasted from 1881 to 1882. He returned to the presidency of the ILE in 1885, remaining at the post until his death. He was elected to the presidency of the government board of the Ateneo de Madrid in February 1913, serving in that capacity until his death.
He died on 16 April 1918, in Madrid.
Views
Labra, who along his parliamentary history espoused autonomist stances vis-à-vis the Cuban question, remarked in 1898 that "he was not an advocate of the independence of our Antilles", always defending the compatibility of autonomy of the colonies and Spanish national integrity. A convinced Republican, he adhered to the Republican-Evolutionist line during the
First Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic (), was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874.
The Republic's founding ensued after the abdication of King ...
. According to the Count of Romanones, if Labra had reneged on his republican faith, he would have hold top offices in Spanish politics (of the Restoration), being reportedly asked several times to join the government.
Described as a "Revolutionary Liberal", he was a key campaigner for the abolition of slavery in Cuba and Puerto Rico. He was also a
pacifist
Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
.
Adhered to Krausist social organicism, he defended the instruction and education of the people as a mean to bridge the gap between social classes and as vehicle for the formation of a strong public opinion, thus facilitating the participation of people in politics.