a few days before the government closed the paper, was tried in absentia and charged with actions "prejudicial to the reputation and authority of the State." When democracy was restored in Spain after Franco's death and the monarchy was re-established in 1975, the Supreme Court revoked the order to close down Madrid. The state was ordered to pay damages to the paper, but this was not enough to restart the daily, which had sold everything in order to compensate its employees. Work in politics and academics Fontán was elected to the Senate as a member of the Unión de Centro Democrático coalition party in the first democratic general elections in June 1977. He was one of the authors of the country's Constitution of 1978, which recognized freedom of expression and freedom of information as fundamental rights. He also served as a minister of the government from 1979 to 1982. In addition to journalism and politics, Fontán led an active career in academia. He set up the first university-level school of journalism in Spain at the University of Navarra in 1958. The university was under the guidance of the Roman Catholic prelature of Opus Dei, of which he was a numerary member. He was made an honorary life member of the International Press Institute in 1984. He was also named one of the institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the 20th century. Fontán was the president and publisher of Nueva Revista de Política, Cultura y Arte, a bimonthly magazine on current affairs, which he founded in 1990. He was made Marquess of Guadalcanal (In spanish: Marqués de Guadalcanal), in July 2008, by King Juan Carlos I as an homage to his contributions to political freedom and civil peace in Spain. References 1923 births 2010 deaths Opus Dei members Spanish Roman Catholics Spanish magazine founders Academic staff of the University of Navarra Presidents of the Senate of Spain Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain) politicians 20th-century Spanish journalists University of Seville alumni