Teodoro de Mas y Nadal (Catalan: Teodor de Mas i Nadal; 1858–1936) was a Spanish engineer and politician. He contributed to the development of railway, road, hydrological and energy infrastructure, mostly in Catalonia, though also in other regions of Spain and in Argentina. Politically he supported the Traditionalist cause. Prior to 1919 and after 1931 he remained active in the Carlist ranks; in 1917–1919 he was member of the regional Catalan party executive. In the 1920s he headed regional Catalan structures of the breakaway Traditionalist grouping known as the Mellistas.
Family and youth
The landowner Mas family has been for centuries related to Osona. Teodoro's great-grandfather, Teodoro de Mas Solá (1774–1816), distinguished himself commanding anti-French insurgency during the Peninsular War. However, he is better known as husband of Joaquina de Vedruna, Teodoro's great-grandmother; already a widow, in 1825 she founded the Carmelite charity order and was declared saint in 1959. Their son and Teodoro's grandfather, Joaquín José de Mas y de Vedruna (1801–1873), sided with the legitimists during the First Carlist War and then went on exile. His son and Teodoro's father, Luis de Mas y Poudevida (1824–1895), as a 13-year-old joined his parent in the legitimist ranks. He then studied geodesy and topography in France, was involved in another Carlist attempt of 1848 and went on exile again. Author of a geodetic manual, back in Spain he engaged in hydraulic engineering and in the 1860s ran a technical college in Barcelona, an institution he founded himself; he also managed a local railway line.
Luis de Mas married Elvira Nadal Valls (1833–1912); the couple lived at the Manso Escorial estate near Vich. They had at least 8 children, born between 1853 and the 1870s; Teodoro was the third in sequence, but the first son. Nothing is known of his early education. As a 14-year-old he escaped from home to join the legitimists during the Third Carlist War; twice rejected due to his age, he was eventually admitted to Real Cuerpo de Ingenieros; the structure was commanded by his own father. Already as an adolescent nominated alférez following the battle of Ripoll, he took part in various skirmishes in Catalonia until transferred to the Northern Front; he entered personal guard of the claimant and after the 1875 battle of Lumbier he was awarded Cruz del Mérito Militar. He was then sent on an unspecified mission to France, but was detained when trying to cross back to Spain and interned in Montauban until the end of hostilities. None of the sources consulted provided information on Mas’ fate after the war, except that together with his father they spent a few years on exile. At unspecified time though probably in the late 1870s or early 1880s he studied engineering, most likely in France. He returned to Spain in 1883 latest, reportedly to take over the family economy. In 1884 he married Josefa Bach Puig (1865–1930), descendant to a Vich Liberal family. The couple settled at the Mas estate and had at least 7 children, born between 1885 and 1904. Two of his sons died in youth in 1910–1911, another one perished in 1937; none of the remaining brothers and sisters became a public figure. Among Teodoro's sons-in-law Juan Travería Pubill was the alcalde of Vich, while Manuel Gaus Ripoll gained his name as an architect. Teodoro's brother Luis was manager of El Legitimista Español, issued in Buenos Aires. Teodoro's brother-in-law, Antonio Bach Puig, was involved in Macia's conspiracy of 1924. Among 17 grandchildren the best known one is Manel Gausa de Mas, an architect and photographer.
Engineer
It is not known exactly what discipline of engineering Mas has studied. He practiced in civil engineering, though he tried his hand at many sub-disciplines: railways, roads, hydro technical works, power generation and industrial facilities. He was first noted as engaged in construction works in 1884, the last such note comes from the 1910s. His projects focused mostly on Catalonia, though he was recorded also in León, La Mancha and in Argentina. A hagiographic note maintains that some of his endeavors were unsuccessful due to factors beyond his control; no independent source is available to confirm this claim. The field which attracted most of Mas’ attention was hydro technical projects. Most of these works were focused on Catalonia; the only exception were the 1880s works at Saltos del Duero in the province of Salamanca. At unspecified time he engaged in a project related to the Monellots fonts, located near Vich; since the 1860s works supposed to use it as supply of water for domestic Vich usage were dragging on. Much more ambitious was a plan focused on the Noguera Pallaresa river; its waters were to be piped to Barcelona over a distance of some 100 km. None of the sources consulted provides information either on outcome of both projects or about commercial format of the enterprises. In 1901 Mas was granted a license to exploit waters of the Ter river, flowing through the Northern Catalonia; the business ran into difficulties, was re-defined commercially and continued at least into the early 1910s. It was the most successful of Mas’ projects; on his own real estate Molí de Sau he constructed a hydro power plant; using 15,000 V lines and on a distance of some 13 km it delivered electricity to Vich, where power was further distributed for domestic use via 500 V lines.
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