Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado

Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, 1st Marquess of Gutiérrez Mellado (30 April 1912 – 15 December 1995) was a Spanish Army officer and politician who played a relevant role during the Spanish transition to democracy.

During his military career he served in relevant Army offices and he joined the political career in 1976, when the Prime Minister appointed him as First Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs. From 1977 to 1979 he also served as Minister of Defence (the first since the Civil War).

In 1994, the socialist government of Felipe González granted him the honorary rank of Captain General.

Gutiérrez Mellado's most popular image is that at the Spanish Congress of the Deputies during the failed 1981 Spanish coup d'état, physically confronting the armed Guardia Civil troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero. Provided by Wikipedia