Felipe González

Political career

Lawyer of profession, it joined, in clandestinity, PSOE (Spanish Working Socialist party) in 1963, before being elected about it, in 1974, general secretary at the time of the Congress (in exile) of Suresnes. Between these two dates, he lived in Geneva (Swiss) where he worked like permanent union representative with the trade union FOBB (working Federation of the trades of Wood and the Building industry) which he left to direct the PSOE.

With the democratization of Spain, consecutive with died of the general Free and the accession with the throne of the king Juan Carlos Ier of Spain, he was elected appointed and thus sat at the Congress of the Deputies (Lower House of the Cortes) in 1977 and 1979, taking the head of the left opposition to the governments of center-right of UCD. There will remain appointed until 2004, year when the PSOE makes its return to the government.

It was president of the Government during four mandates (1982 - 1986, 1986 - 1989, 1989 - 1993 and 1993 - 1996). It directed the country during adhesions to the European Economic community and NATO.

During its mandates, it set up policies of intensive modernization of the country and tied close relations between Spain and the States of South America. It was one of the principal promoters of the World Fair of Seville 1992 and of the Olympic Games of Barcelona 1992.

According to the Spanish historian Cesar Vidal, it would be one of the most notorious freemasons of Spain.

Private life

Felipe González is known to have manual passions:

its collection of Bonsai S which it created and maintained using the specialist Luis Vallejo, is preserved since February 2005 at the Botanical garden of Madrid;
it also creates Joaillerie S, like the pendentive ones carried by Sonsoles Espinosa, wife of the president of the government Zapatero, at the time of the marriage of the crown prince in 2004.

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