Ricardo Mella Cea (April 13, 1861 – August 7, 1925) was one of the first writers, intellectuals and anarchist activists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Spain. He was characterized as an erudite in various subjects and versed in languages, mastering French, English and Italian. Federica Montseny said, "He is considered the deepest, most penetrating and most lucid of the Spanish anarchist thinkers". He was the father of feminist activist Urania Mella and socialist politician Ricardo Mella Serrano. Biography Ricardo Mella was born in Gamboa, Vigo, in the province of Pontevedra (Galicia), where he went to primary school. He was the son of Dolores Cea Fernández and José Mella Buján, a hat crafter and a supporter of federal republicanism which influenced his eldest son, Ricardo, on respect for the republican and democratic ideals and admiration for Francisco Pi y Margall. When he was 16, he joined the Federal Democratic Republican Party of Spain, becoming its secretary, and emphasized in its advocacy of federalist republican status and the political and administrative autonomy of Galicia. When he was young, he worked in a maritime agency in his native Vigo. By this time, Vigo was experiencing a considerable transformation and expansion as a port city and commercial center, but the poor living conditions in Galicia still required workers to emigrate. During this time, he began his journalistic career working with the bi-weekly newspaper La Verdad, a representative of republicanism, and supporter of the claims of the Galician proletariat, denouncing the exploitation of workers in Galicia. During this time, he began his journalistic profession by collaborating with the bi-weekly periodical La Verdad. Representing the most extreme sector of Republicanism, he wrote frequently on the struggle of the Galician proletariat and denounced what he felt to be despotic policies in the Galician government. The sharp and controversial nature of his writings brought him into conflict with the Marquis José Elduayen, a canovista politician and local representative of the central conservative power under Prime Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta. Mella brought to light an alleged embezzlement in the Bank of Spain, of which the Marquis had been director of. In April 1881 Mella was sentenced by the Provincial Court to 4 years and 3 months of exile and a fine of 625 pesetas. The sentence was later commuted to 3 years and 7 months and the fine was lowered to 200 pesetas. In 1881