Luis Adaro Magro

Luis Adaro y Magro
La Carbonera, monument to Luis Adaro in the park of Sama de Langreo
Born	Luis Adaro y Magro (1849-04-17)17 April 1849 Madrid, Spain
Died	21 October 1915(1915-10-21) (aged 66) Madrid, Spain
Citizenship	Spanish
Occupations	Engineer Businessman Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder of Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, Banco Urquijo, and Talleres de Guernica
Children	Luis Adaro Porcel
Deputy of Spain for Gernika-Lumo
In office 1896–1914
Preceded by	Marquis of Lema
Succeeded by	Eduardo Vincenti y Reguera
Senator of Spain
In office 1915–1923

Luis Adaro y Magro (17 April 1849 – 21 October 1915) was a Spanish engineer and businessman, who was one of the most important figures in the mining and metallurgical history of Asturias and in the general development of this region at the end of the 19th century. He has been described as a true Schumpeterian businessman. Among other positions, he was rector of Duro Felguera. He is the father of Luis Adaro Porcel and the grandfather of Luis Adaro Ruiz-Falcó; the Adaro family was a key family in the industrial and economic development of Asturias.

Early life and education

Born in Madrid on 17 April 1849, Adaro left the capital of Spain to settle in Asturias, where he became a mining entrepreneur at the end of the 19th century. Adaro entered the School of Mines at the age of sixteen, completing his engineering degree in 1872. He did his internship in the Almadén mines and then was assigned to the mining district of Asturias.

Business career

Between 1874 and 1875 he directed the Société d'Eichthal et compagnie, the company that owned the Mosquitera Mine; shortly after, he was entrusted with the María Luisa mines, belonging to the Marquis of Guadalmina, and La Justa, property of the Baron del Castillo de Chirel, Finat, Laffite, among others.

Adaro promoted the strengthening of the Asturian coal industry, achieving several improvements such as the modification of the rates of the Langreo Railway. In 1878 he published a pamphlet entitled Asturian coal and the Navy, in which he called for an increase in the consumption of Spanish coal. In 1883 he created the Mining and Metallurgical Union of Asturias, managing to increase the capital to 5,500,000 pesetas in just over five years. He installed the first mechanical laundry in Asturias, the one located in the Mosquitera pit, using his experience to direct the installation of many others. He was part of numerous official commissions for studies and tariffs and protection of the coal industry, taking personal charge of the management of the Soto del Rey-Ciaño Santa Ana branch of the Northern Railway. He collaborated in the launching of the Avilés Port Union and advocated, together with Alejandro Pidal y Mon, for the muselist solution in the controversy over the appropriate location for the port of Gijón. He was the first president of the Gijón Chamber of Commerce, a position from which he promoted an international exhibition that was held at the end of the century in this city.

In 1900, Adaro joined the board of directors of Duro Felguera, becoming its general manager in 1907. In 1901, Adaro co-founded the company Adaro y Marín, the precursor of Adaro Tecnologías, and he was also the driving force behind the creation of very important entities for Asturias, such as the Banco de Crédito Gijonés or the Caja de Ahorros de Asturias. In 1909 he was entrusted with directing the survey of the Geological Map of Spain.

He was also involved in the foundation of Gijón Sport Club, the first football club in the region.

Later life and death

Shortly before his death, Adaro published Information on the crisis of the coal market in Spain, and proposed measures to the Government. This work was very useful for the work of the Commissions and Boards created to deal with the coal crisis derived from the First World War.

Adaro died in Madrid on 21 October 1915, at the age of 66.