Salvador Alonso

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Biography of Salvador Alonso

Salvador Alonso, matriculation slip 1913-14

Salvador Alonso studied at the University of Glasgow between 1913 and 1914.

Born in Vigo, Galicia, Alonso was the youngest son of Cuban mother Eloisa Giménez-Cuenca and Spanish father, Antonio Alonso, who was a pioneer of the canning industry in Galicia. His sister married an Uruguayan diplomat who moved his family to Glasgow in 1912.

Salvador Alonso studied Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and Physical Laboratory during his year at the University, before returning home to Galicia to work for his father’s company Antonio Alonso and Sons, founded in 1873.

Antonio Alonso and Sons was an export canning company that supplied canned fish products for export. Salvador, along with his brothers, Rodrigo and Antonio, took over the brand Palacio de Oriente, which their father had first named Palais D'Orient, in 1918. The company's success was highlighted when they received a visit from the King of Spain, Alfonso XII, in September 1927. The canning industry in Vigo is said to have 'contributed to the elimination of poverty and the growth of the city', and the industry still continues today. The factory is still there, as is the metalworks where the tins were manufactured.

Summary

Salvador Alonso
Born 1896.
Died 1980.
University Link: Student
GU Degree: Science and Engineering, 1913-1914;
Occupation categories: businessmen
Additional Information: Further information supplied by Alonso's descendent, Margaret Cowley. Further reading on Alonso can be found in an article, 'From Galicia to Glasgow' by Rosemary Milne. https://uoginternationalstory.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/from-galicia-to-glasgow-in-1913/
Record last updated: 16th Mar 2018