Manuel Antonio Hermoso Rojas (24 June 1935 – 17 June 2025) was a

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

politician. Hermoso was mayor of

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

from 1979 until 1991 and the fourth president of the Canary Islands Autonomous Region between 1993 and 1999. He represented the

Canarian Coalition The Canarian Coalition (, CC or CCa) is a regionalist and Canarian nationalist political party in Spain operating in the Canary Islands. The party's aim is for greater autonomy for the islands but not independence. Its position has been labeled a ...

party and was the first politician ever to bring his party and himself into power in 1993. He was later succeeded after the elections by another Canarian Coalition politician

Román Rodríguez Rodríguez Román Rodríguez Rodríguez (born 1 March 1956) is a Canarian politician who was the president of the Canary Islands between 1999 and 2003. He was licensed in medicine at the University of La Laguna. He worked as a medical assistant for one ye ...

in 1999.

Early life

Hermoso was born on 24 June 1935 in

San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna, ) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The former capital of the Canary Islan ...

, which was then part of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

. His parents were Manuel Hermoso Banderas and Amparo Rojas Ortega, both of whom were from

Cártama Cártama is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately from Málaga. It is one of the most extensive towns in the province, coverin ...

and intended to immigrate to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

but stayed in Spain. When he was seven months old, his family moved to

. After completing his secondary education, he began studying

industrial engineering Industrial engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, an ...

in the hall of Colegio Mayor Santa María de Europa at the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

, where he was roommates with future Minister of the Interior

Rodolfo Martín Villa Rodolfo Martín Villa (born 3 October 1934) is a Spanish engineer and politician, who served in various capacities in the cabinets of the Spanish transition to democracy, including interior minister and first deputy prime minister. He was under ...

. After graduating with his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

he chose to work in several companies in

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and Galicia as there were not many opportunities in the Canary Islands at the time. After his father's health worsened, he returned to the Canary Islands and directed his father's furniture company on Rambla Pulido.

Political career

During the early 1970s he became a promoter of the Tenerife Group of Independents, which became integrated into the Canary Islands Coalition. He then served as mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife between 1979 and 1991. He was also elected 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 ...

in 1986.

Death

Hermoso died on 17 June 2025, at the age of 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermoso, Manuel 1935 births 2025 deaths Presidents of the Canary Islands Members of the 3rd Parliament of the Canary Islands Canarian Coalition politicians People from San Cristóbal de La Laguna Members of the 4th Parliament of the Canary Islands