José Antonio Primo de Rivera death (although his sentence was commuted). Franco appointed his own brother-in-law Serrano Suñer to replace him. The reign of Francisco Franco nurtured a convenient cult of personality around the dead figure of Primo de Rivera whom Falangists dubbed "El Ausente" (The Missing One). The founder of Falange was anointed a martyr of the "crusade against Marxism." Notwithstanding the apparent veneration by the Francoist State, it remains true that the Missing One's demise had removed a dangerous opponent: Primo de Rivera had been Marquess, a doctor of civil law, a political thinker; Franco owned no comparable pedigree, no comparable education and
José María Lamamié de Clairac new confederation was clear, if generally denied." Though Clairac was initially an enthusiastic supporter of the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923–30), Primo forfeited much conservative and clerical support when in November 1926 he offered the socialist union Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) a leading position in the reorganisation of labour relations. In common with many of those who were to emerge as leading figures on the Catholic right during the Second Republic, Clairac gained considerable political experience under Primo, sitting as a representative for the province of Salamanca in the dictator's National Assembly. As republicanism gained ground Clairac was