Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Javier Benedet papers
Date (inclusive): 1900-1977
Collection Number: 2013C11
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: The collection is in Spanish with some materials in English
Physical Description:
22 manuscript boxes, 10 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder
(14.8 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The Javier Benedet papers contain significant materials relating to the Spanish Civil War and to fundraising efforts in Northern
California on behalf of the Republican side in that conflict. The papers also provide documentation on the plight of Republican
refugees in the aftermath of the Civil War and on the political life of the Spanish anti-fascist diaspora in France, Mexico,
and other countries.
Creator:
Benedet, Javier, 1904-1990
Creator:
Acción Demócrata Española
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Boxes FH13 and FH15 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research;
materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the
collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2012.
[Identification of item], Javier Benedet papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1904 | Born, Siete Iglesias, Valladolid, Spain |
| 1910-1925 | Lives in Mexico and is apprenticed as a bullfighter |
| 1925-1969 | Works as a waiter in San Francisco, California |
| 1930s-1970s | Secretary, Acción Demócrata Española. Active in fundraising on behalf of the Spanish Republic |
| 1969-1985 | Works as a bartender in Mill Valley, California |
| 1990 | Died |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Javier Benedet papers contain significant materials relating to the Spanish Civil War and to fundraising efforts in Northern
California on behalf of the Republican side in that conflict. The papers also provide documentation on the plight of Republican
refugees in the aftermath of the Civil War and on the political life of the Spanish anti-fascist diaspora in France, Mexico,
and other countries. In terms of volume, the Benedet papers presently constitute the second largest collection (after the
Burnett Bolloten papers) in the archives pertaining to the Spanish Civil War.
In the 1930s, Benedet was a founding member of Acción Demócrata Española, a political organization based in San Francisco
and comprised largely of Spanish expatriates and immigrants. During the civil war that engulfed Spain in 1936-1939, the organization
campaigned on behalf of the Spanish Republic and against the rightwing forces headed by Francisco Franco. By means of public
appeals, festivals, and concerts, Acción Demócrata Española raised money that was sent to Republican Spain in aid of children
affected by the war and, when the conflict was over, on behalf of Spanish refugees in France and elsewhere. Affiliated with
the Sociedades Hispanas Aliadas, Acción Demócrata Española participated in the political life of the Spanish emigration in
North America, maintaining a general anti-fascist orientation amidst the often bitter divisions among Spanish Republican factions.
Its fundraising activities continued into the 1970s.
As secretary of Acción Demócrata Española in San Francisco, Benedet played a key role both within the organization and as
its public representative within the Hispanic community of Northern California. The
organizational records series includes correspondence, minutes of meetings, and publicity materials used in the fundraising efforts of Acción Demócrata
Española. There are a small number of writings by Benedet in the
speeches and writings series. In addition to a number of monographs and pamphlets relating to Spanish politics, the large
printed matter series contains copies of the many journals and newspapers received by Benedet before, during, and after the Spanish Civil
War. These materials reflect a wide spectrum of political thought on the Republican side and include anarchist, socialist,
communist, and independent publications. Also included in this series are numerous issues of
España libre, the newspaper of the Sociedades Hispanas Confederadas in the United States and a major forum for Spanish Republican opinion
after the end of the civil war.
The collection also contains a number of posters relating to the Spanish Civil War and to various fiestas in Northern California
organized by Acción Demócrata Española. There is also an original artwork by a child depicting a scene of aerial combat during
the civil war.
The collection is organized into 6 series: Organizational records; Speeches and writings; Photographs; Printed matter; Oversize
materials; Oversize folder.
Burnett Bolloten papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Leo Eloesser papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939
Spaniards -- United States
Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939 -- Refugees
Spain -- Emigration and immigration