José Núñez Iglesias

Núñez was born in 1897^[1] and joined the diplomatic career in 1929,^[1] being first assigned to the Consulate-General in Mexico City.^[2] In October 1936, while still serving at the consulate, he was dismissed and expelled from the diplomatic corps by the Republican government,^[3] but would be reinstated by the rebel faction, which two years later appointed him second-class commercial attaché.^[4] In July 1939, reinstated in his position as second-class embassy secretary, he was appointed commercial attaché at the Embassy of Spain, Washington, D.C.^[5] In 1942 he was promoted to first-class commercial attaché^[6] and in 1945 he returned to Spain.

In Spain, he was appointed chief of staff to the Under-Secretary of Industry^[7] and, after serving ad interim for a few months,^[7] in June 1948 he was appointed as permanent director-general for Trade and Tariff Policy.^[8]

At the same time, he continued to rise in the diplomatic career and in July 1950 he was appointed as director-general for Economic Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[9] At this time, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit.^[10]

In mid-1954 he was granted his first head of mission, being appointed ambassador to the Republic of Ireland,^[11] but was quickly called back to Spain to take over as Under-Secretary for Foreign Economy.^[12] After leaving this post at the end of 1957, he was appointed head of the Permanent Mission of Spain to the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC),^[13] and later to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), serving until 1964, when he was ordered to replace the Count of Casa Miranda as ambassador of Spain in Belgium —with concurrence in Luxembourg^[14] — and to the European Communities.^[15] In 1962 he had been rewarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.^[16]

He left his diplomatic roles in mid-1967, when he reached the age of 70. After this, he was rewarded with a position on the Council of State,^[17] serving until 1972.^[18]

He died in Madrid on December 9, 1984.^[19]