Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Senior civil servant who runs the Spanish Foreign Ministry on a day-to-day basis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The under-secretary of foreign affairs, called in the past under-secretary of state, is a government official within the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for assisting the minister in the daily management of the department. In this regard, the under-secretary supervises the department's policies concerning legal and consular assistance, human resources, protocol, budget and training of new diplomats. As responsible for human resources, the under-secretary is the head of the Diplomatic Service and has the rank and honors of ambassador.[1] It is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the foreign minister.
Mr. Under-Secretary (informal)
| Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs | |
|---|---|
| Subsecretario de Asuntos Exteriores | |
 | |
 | |
Incumbent since 28 August 2024Xavier Martí Martí | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretariat of Foreign Affairs | |
| Style | The Most Excellent (formal) Mr. Under-Secretary (informal) |
| Nominator | The Foreign Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Formation | 16 June 1834 |
| First holder | Andrés Villalba |
| Website | exteriores.gob.es |
Until the establishment of the position of secretary of state for foreign affairs in 1979, the under-secretary was second-in-command to the minister, having political responsibilities. Nowadays, it is a technical position, held by a diplomat or a senior civil servant. This position is comparable to the permanent secretary in some countries or the Under Secretary of State for Management in the United States.
The under-secretary is the chancellor of the Ministry's orders: the Order of Isabella the Catholic and the Order of Civil Merit.
History
The office of under-secretary was established by Royal Decree of Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, The Queen Regent, of 16 June 1834. This norm created the position for all government departments in order to assist and lighten the minister's workload.[2] On June 26, Andrés Villalba, introducer of ambassadors, was appointed the first under-secretary of the Ministry of State.[3]
For much of its history, the Undersecretariat has been structured around two sections: one for Policy and another for Trade and Consulates. Over time, these two sections were divided and specialized by subject. By the end of the 19th century, we can find up to eleven different sections, some dedicated to foreign policy (Europe; the Americas; Asia, Africa and Oceania; Trade; and Pious Work) and others to technical and administrative matters (Accounting, Chancellery, Consulates, Archives, etc.).[4]
In the 1930s the sections were renamed as directorates-general and the political ones were directly attached to the minister, although, as the second highest ranking official, the under-secretary continued to act as coordinator of the rest of the department's senior officials. The creation of the secretariats of state —foreign affaris, European Union and international cooperation— between the 1970s and the 1980s relegated this officer to a mere internal affairs manager.
Organization
The Undersecretariat is organized as follows:[5]
| Undersecretariat Organization (2026) | |
|---|---|
| Under-Secretary | Technical Cabinet |
| Inspectorate-General of Services | |
| Budget Office | |
| International Legal Advice Office | |
| Diplomatic School | |
| Pious Work of the Holy Places | |
| Office for the Protection of Classified Information | |
| Introducer of Ambassadors | Deputy Directorate-General for Trips, Official Visits, Ceremonial and Orders |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Chancellery | |
| Technical Secretary-General | Deputy Technical Secretary-General |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Institutional Relations and Regional Collaboration | |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Treaties and Other International Agreements | |
| Division for Appeals and Relations with the Courts | |
| Language Interpretation Office | |
| Directorate-General for the Foreign Service |
Administrative Office |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Personnel | |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Financial Administration | |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Properties | |
| Deputy Directorate-General for IT, Communications and Networks | |
| Division for Control and Management Improvement | |
| Directorate-General for Spaniards Abroad and Consular Affairs |
Deputy Directorate-General for Consular Protection and Assistance |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Consular Legal Affairs | |
| Deputy Directorate-General for Visas and Travel Documents | |
| Division for Consular Emergencies | |
List of under-secretaries
Since 1834, these has been the people who served as under-secretaries:[6]
| Under-Secretary | Term | Under-Secretary | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrés Villalba | 1834 – 1835 | 53 | Eugenio Ferraz y Alcalá Galiano | 1913 – 1918 |
| 2 | Julián Villalba | 1835 – 1836 | - | Juan Pérez-Caballero y Ferrer | 1918 – 1919 |
| - | Gabriel José García, a.i. | 1836 – 1838 | 54 | Emilio de Palacios y Fau | 1919 – 1923 |
| - | Julián Villalba, a.i. | 1838 – 1839 | 55 | Fernando Espinosa de los Monteros | 1923 – 1927 |
| - | José García Pérez de Castro, a.i. | 1839 – 1840 | 56 | Bernardo Almeida y Herreros | 1927 – 1929 |
| 3 | Hipólito de los Hoyos | 1840 – 1843 | 57 | Emilio de Palacios y Fau | 1929 – 1930 |
| 4 | Francisco María Martín | 1843 – 1846 | 58 | Domingo de las Bárcenas | 1930 – 1931 |
| 5 | The Count of San Luis | 1846 | 59 | Francisco Agramonte Cortijo | 1931 – 1932 |
| 6 | Antonio Caballero | 1846 – 1851 | 60 | Justo Gómez Ocerín | 1932 – 1933 |
| 7 | Luis López de la Torre Ayllón y Kirsmacker | 1851 | 61 | Antonio de la Cruz Marín | 1933 |
| 8 | Antonio Riquelme | 1851 – 1853 | 62 | Manuel Aguirre de Cárcer | |
| 9 | Antonio Caballero | 1853 – 1854 | 63 | José María Doussinague | 1933 – 1934 |
| 10 | Juan Antoine y Zayas | 1854 – 1855 | 64 | José María Aguinaga y Barona | 1934 – 1936 |
| - | Jacinto Albístur, a.i. | 1855 | 65 | Rafael de Ureña y Sanz | 1936 |
| - | Miguel de los Santos Álvarez, a.i. | 1855 – 1856 | - | Valeriano Casanueva Picazo[a] | 1936 – 1937 |
| 11 | Augusto Ulloa y Castañón | 1856 | - | Alfredo Nistal Martínez[a] | 1937 |
| - | Tomás Ligués, a.i. | - | Carlos Esplá[a] | 1937 – 1938 | |
| 12 | The Marquess of Valmar | 1856 – 1857 | - | José Quero Morales[a] | 1938 |
| 13 | Juan Tomás Comyn | 1857 – 1862 | - | Pablo de Tremoya y Alzaga[a] | |
| 14 | Tomás Ligués | 1863 – 1864 | - | Eugenio Espinosa de los Monteros[b] | 1938 – 1939 |
| 15 | Miguel de los Santos Bañuelos | 1864 – 1865 | - | José Quero Morales[a] | |
| 16 | The Count of Casa Valencia | 1865 – 1866 | - | Domingo de las Bárcenas[b] | 1939 |
| 17 | Facundo Goñi | 1866 – 1867 | 66 | Juan Peche y Cabeza de Vaca | 1939 – 1941 |
| 18 | Rafael Jabat Hernández de Alba | 1867 – 1868 | 67 | José Pan de Soraluce y Español | 1941 – 1944 |
| 19 | The Count of Xiquena | 1868 | 68 | Cristóbal del Castillo y Campos | 1944 – 1945 |
| 20 | Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano | 1868 – 1869 | 69 | Tomás Suñer Ferrer | 1945 – 1947 |
| 21 | Eduardo Gasset y Artime | 1869 – 1870 | 70 | The Count of Casa Miranda | 1947 – 1951 |
| 22 | Bonifacio de Blas y Muñoz | 1870 – 1871 | 71 | The Count of Navasqüés | 1951 – 1955 |
| 23 | Pío Gullón | 1871 – 1872 | 72 | The Marquess consort of Santa Cruz | 1955 –1958 |
| 24 | Manuel Merelo y Calvo | 1872 – 1873 | 73 | Pedro Cortina Mauri | 1958 – 1966 |
| 25 | Miguel Morayta y Sagrario | 1873 | 74 | Germán Burriel Rodríguez | 1966 – 1968 |
| 26 | Tomás Rodríguez Pinilla | 75 | Gonzalo Fernández de la Mora | 1970 | |
| 27 | Melchor Almagro Díaz | 1873 – 1874 | 76 | Gabriel Fernández Valderrama | 1970 – 1974 |
| 28 | Pío Gullón | 1874 – 1875 | 77 | Juan José Rovira | 1974 – 1975 |
| 29 | Cayo Quiñones de León | 1875 | 78 | The Marquess of Oreja | 1975 – 1976 |
| 30 | Rafael Ferraz | 1875 – 1881 | 79 | Miguel Solano Aza | 1976 – 1978 |
| - | Jacobo Prendergast y Gorgón, a.i. | 1881 | 80 | José Joaquín Puig de la Bellacasa | 1978 – 1980 |
| 31 | Felipe Méndez de Vigo | 1881 – 1883 | 81 | Joaquín Ortega Salinas | 1980 – 1982 |
| 32 | José Gutiérrez de Agüera | 1883 – 1884 | 82 | Leoncio Gonzalo Puente Ojea | 1982 – 1985 |
| 33 | Rafael Ferraz | 1884 – 1885 | 83 | Fernando Perpiñá-Robert Peyra | 1985 – 1988 |
| 34 | José Gutiérrez de Agüera | 1885 – 1888 | 84 | Inocencio Arias | 1988 – 1991 |
| 35 | Francisco Rafael Figuera | 1888 – 1889 | 85 | Máximo Cajal López | 1991 – 1994 |
| 36 | José Fernández Jiménez | 1889 – 1890 | 86 | Jesús Ezquerra Calvo | 1994 – 1996 |
| 37 | Rafael Ferraz | 1890 – 1892 | 87 | José de Carvajal Salido | 1996 – 2000 |
| 38 | José Fernández Jiménez | 1892 – 1893 | 88 | Carlos Carderera Soler | 2000 – 2002 |
| - | José Gutiérrez de Agüera, a.i. | 1893 | 89 | José Pedro Sebastián de Erice[7] | 2002 – 2003 |
| 39 | Joaquín Valera y Aceituno | 1893 – 1894 | 90 | María Victoria Morera[8] | 2003 – 2004 |
| 40 | The Marquess of Villa-Urrutia | 1894 – 1895 | 91 | Luis Calvo Merino[9] | 2004 – 2007 |
| 41 | Rafael Ferraz | 1895 – 1897 | 92 | María Jesús Figa[10] | 2007 – 2010 |
| 42 | José Gutiérrez de Agüera | 1897 – 1898 | 93 | Antonio López Martínez[11] | 2010 – 2012 |
| 43 | Luis Polo de Bernabé | 1898 – 1899 | 94 | Rafael Mendívil Peydro[12] | 2012 – 2014 |
| 44 | The Duke of Arcos | 1899 | 95 | Cristóbal González-Aller Jurado[13] | 2014 – 2017 |
| 45 | Enrique Dupuy de Lóme y Paulín | 1899 – 1900 | 96 | Beatriz Larrotcha Palma[14] | 2017 – 2018 |
| 46 | Juan Pérez-Caballero y Ferrer | 1900 – 1903 | 97 | Ángeles Moreno Bau[15] | 2018 – 2020 |
| 47 | Antonio de Castro y Casaléiz | 1903 – 1905 | 98 | María Celsa Nuño García[16] | 2020 – 2021 |
| 48 | Emilio de Ojeda y Perpiñán | 1905 – 1906 | 99 | Luis Manuel Cuesta Civís[17] | 2021 – 2024 |
| 49 | Julio de Arellano y Arróspide | 1906 – 1907 | 100 | Xavier Martí Martí[18] | Since 2024 |
| 50 | The Marquess of Herrera | 1907 – 1909 | |||
| 51 | Ramón Piña y Millet | 1909 – 1911 | |||
| 52 | Manuel González-Hontoria | 1911 – 1913 | |||
See also
Notes
- Under-Secretary of the Republican Ministry of State