Daniel Fernández Crespo

Daniel Fernández Crespo meeting President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Israel, 1959

Daniel Fernández Crespo (April 28 1901 – July 28 1964) was a Uruguayan politician who served as the chairman of the 4th National Council of Government from 1963 to 1964.

Part of a more progressive faction of the National Party (Uruguay), Crespo supported various progressive social rights during the course of his political career such as a minimum wage for agricultural workers and extended coverage of family allowances.

Quotes by

• We will work without pause, but without hesitations other than those we deeply feel, to affirm greater social justice, with economic progress that is reflected in a better life for each member of the society that we have to govern.

• In general, we understand that the land should belong to those who work it and make it produce. This need to increase agricultural production urgently requires substantive legislation that, without harming any right, opens up possibilities for a more equitable distribution of land and, at the same time, means better exploitation of it, giving opportunities to continue, with the guarantees of settling in the countryside, to those who were born and raised in the area, and have the vocation and knowledge to make it produce. We understand the so-called Agrarian Reform, as an adjustment or reform of the structure of the agrarian economy, making all sectors participate in it, in one way or another. It should have as its objective the transformation, as I have said, of the country's agrarian structures and the expansion of the set of measures to be adopted to promote and facilitate a rational subdivision of the land, its fair distribution and ownership, its adequate and convenient exploitation. and care, and the reduction of damages suffered by risks.

• In tax matters, we will use tax laws, as long as they are instruments for a better redistribution of wealth, demanding more from those who have the most. At the same time, we will encourage the investment and reinvestment of capital and savings. We will propose the modification of the legal norms that regulate private banking activity. Likewise, we will structure, with effective urgency, a special law for the so-called financial companies) that prevents the usury that is carried out through them, to the detriment of all sectors of production. In terms of housing construction, we will study the comprehensive solution to the problem that affects the working and middle sectors of the population, through the structuring of a vast construction plan that facilitates the realization of one's own home. At the same time, we will promote the sanction of a Rental Law, which addresses the fair claims of owners and tenants.

• In the labor aspect, the law on Salary Councils must be reviewed, so that there is uniformity in their pronouncement, ensuring for the same category, equal salary and fair remuneration in accordance with the cost of living. It must be taken into consideration that their fixing is not a disturbing circumstance for the general economy, which will ultimately mean creating an illusion.

Note: The above are excerpts from a speech Crespo delivered to the General Assembly while serving as President of the National Government Council; outlining his plans for government.

Quotes about

• Originally from San José (1901), he was a humble and dedicated school teacher and later a school director. He forged his personality and dedication to the effort for social justice and equality for the most needy and forgotten classes of this capital. His permanent work in the neighborhoods, solving the life needs of the needy families without forgetting his permanent legislative concerns, consequent social achievements such as the Christmas bonus law (13 and 14 salaries), which he promulgated from his list 51. His austere life as an exemplary family man, a fair neighbor, and an honest politician served as a paradigm for future generations. Of course, he had his internal battles when he rightfully became independent, founding the Popular Nationalist Movement (1953) from the old Herrerismo. He marked his own profile, perhaps not only populist, which Herrerismo was also, but with a more progressive or, if you will, more leftist tone in the face of a greater inclination towards social problems, the product of a formation that was perhaps less intellectualized but more steeped and immersed in labor aspirations and its civic improvements. Around him he built an entire structure that carefully and dedicatedly followed his examples in social behavior and preferences, which marked his main leadership characteristic. His list 51 was the most voted to date in the history of the National Party.
  • Fernández Crespo conquista Montevideo

• Throughout his intense and fruitful life, Don Daniel Fernández Crespo must be taken as a genuine example of public service, of proven morals and a true champion of political and parliamentary work for the benefit of the working classes. Those who knew him and worked tirelessly with him admired him for his political, human and moral qualities. While this was happening among his nationalist supporters, his adversaries respected him, not for his verbosity but for his constant and persevering work in favor of achieving better living conditions for the popular classes. He dedicated all his action to causes that motivate a perennial memory of the simplest orientals and transform him into an unavoidable reference for all those who embrace the selfless activity of serving others. What else can political work be than that of service to the community and its people!!!. Thus was born in ancient Greece, where the Polis or the so-called City States were a magnificent example of life in society. That is one of the inspiring sources of modern Democracy.
  • Semblanza a Fernández Crespo Dr. Marcello Brienza