Luis García Ruiz

Luis García Ruiz (March 8, 1877 in Màlaga – September 9, 1949 in Palma) was a Spanish army general who took part in the military uprising against the Second Republic in July 1936.

Son of a colonel in the infantry branch, he finished his secondary school studies in the Philippines. In 1895, he joined the Engineering Corps in the General Military Academy at Guadalajara. In 1901, he was sent to Mallorca as a lieutenant, and in November 1907, he married Isabel Rosselló Alemany whom he had six children with. Among his children was Antoni García Ruiz i Rosselló, who was a famous Mallorcan architect and served as a civil governor. Antoni died in 2003.

In 1917, Luis succeeded Eusebi Estada i Sureda as the manager for the railway project which connected major cities and towns in Mallorca such as Palma, Llucmajor and Campos. He was also involved in the development of the railway connecting Palma with its Port.

As a military engineer, he studied defense strategies and designed Artillery batteries throughout the island. He was a military assistant to Spanish general Valeriano Weyler and also served 3 years in Mahón.

In 1933, he was appointed military commander of the Balearic Islands and subsequently began working together with Francisco Franco. A year later, in 1934, a state of war was declared leading to the disbanding of the Palma Town Hall and dismissal of the Mayor of Palma, Emili Darder. During his term, he banned the Himno de Riego from being played.