Castelar y Ripoll, Emilio

Castelar y Ripoll, Emilio (āmē`lyō kästālär` ē rēpō`lyə), 1832–99, Spanish statesman and author. A professor of history and philosophy at the Univ. of Madrid and a republican leader, he was foreign minister and then president (1873–74) of Spain's first republic. Ruling virtually as a dictator, he was partially successful in restoring order to the war-torn country, but he, and the republic, were overthrown by a military coup. After the restoration (1875) of Alfonso XII he was a member of the political opposition in the Cortes. A great orator, he also wrote historical, political, and literary works.