Negrín, Romulo

Romulo Negrín was born 3. 5. 1917 in Madrid as the second son in the family of Dr. Juan Negrína (physician, leading researcher in the field of physiology, university professor, three-time legislator 2. republic in the years 1931, 1933 and 1936, the minister of finance in the years 1936-1937 and president of the Council of ministers 2. the Spanish republic, 1937-1939 and in exile in the years 1939 to 1945) and Marie Michailovny Fidelman Brodsky, pianist and daughter of a rich family of Russian origin.


The couple was married in Leipzig in 1914, and had five children: Juan was born still in Leipzig 11. 22. 1914, Maria was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in December 1915 and died in 1925 during an epidemic of typhoid fever, Romulo born 3. 5. 1917 in Madrid, as well as his younger brother Miguel (born 7. 6. 1922) and finally, Dolores, who died in childbirth in 1923, the birth was conducted by Dr. Negrín himself. The tragic deaths of both girls led to the dissolution of the marriage, although the divorce has officially happened.


Romulo in the years 1935/36 started to study at the university of agricultural engineers in Madrid, however, the study disrupted the beginning of the civil war.


After the outbreak of the civil war as a 19-year-old, he joined together with his elder brother Juan into the ranks of the socialist militia, and together they participated in the fighting in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Peguerinos and the Alto del León. During these first weeks of the war, his father, Dr. Juan Negrín in his own car drove to the front the volunteers, weapons, blankets and other supplies.


Since the end of October, when they were dissolved the militia and the established army, both brothers into it immediately entered.


In June 1937, the paths of the two brothers parted. Juan completed a 1938 study at the medical faculty and became a captain in the medical corps. At the beginning of the year 1939, with the fall of Catalonia, he moved to France and from there traveled to New York, whither they had fled at the beginning of the war, his mother and his younger brother Miguel.


Romulo on the contrary, decided to sign up for the air force and was immediately sent to the USSR, with a group of other air cadets, to here have received training on the machines of soviet manufacture. After a quick training as a fighter pilot came back to Spain either at the end of 1937 or early 1938, and in the rank of sergeant major (sargento) was assigned to the squadron of fighters Polikarpov I-15 (popularly called Chato - grenadier). In the coming months, participated in various combat actions. In June 1938 he was in one of these dogfights shot down. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to lieutenant commander (teniente) and sent back to the USSR with other leading republican pilots for further training. Here it also 1. April 1939 shocked by the news of the defeat of the republic, so now he and his colleagues could not return to Spain.


Many republican soldiers from the civil war of the republic, who were in the USSR now had to decide what to do next. Romulo wanted the USSR to immediately leave, some of his colleagues on the contrary, decided to stay. The departure of the other authorities of the USSR do their utmost to defend, after a few months, however eventually Romulovi and his colleagues managed to get all the permits to be able to leave the Soviet union. Romulo decided to go to Mexico, from there he traveled to New York to join his mother and siblings.


In June 1940 he started again in New York to pursue his studies, he chose to study aeronautical engineering, graduating in 1944. During his studies he became acquainted with the painter Jeanne Francis Fetter, with which he married in February 1944, and they had two children, Juan and Carmen.


Although his wife was an American, had Romulo Negrín problems to obtain permission for permanent residence in the US, because in mercy stayed in the USSR. At that time, at the beginning of the cold war, broke out in the United states antikomunistická hysteria, leading to a climate of suspicion, gossip, and rumors. The situation became so untenable, that, shortly after the birth of daughter Carmen in July 1947, the family was forced to leave the United states and settle in Mexico City.


Negrín was indeed alone: Mexico was the main country, kem headed republican emigrants, which to the country in the years 1937 to 1942, it added about 25 000.


However, life in Mexico for the majority of the exiles was not easy. Romulo initially did all the menial work, and later started a business and prospered. His children subsequently studied at prestigious universities, Juan at Yale and Carmen at Berkeley. Romulo Negrín always maintained close relations with the rest of the republican exiles in Mexico, but politically unengaged, and avoided any popularity.


In 1969, his wife Jeanne Francis died (was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis) and Romulo moved to Guadalajara, the second largest city in the country.


Here again he married a Mexican woman Hilda Ponce, with whom he had two more children, a daughter Hilda and a son of Romulus.


He died 30. July 2004 in the city of Guadalajara at the age of 87 years.


Source: memoriadealcublas.blogspot.cz.

cf. Negrin in front of his machine Polikarpov I-15. Location and date unknown.

www.elgrancapitan.org