Diego Coello de Portugal y Quesada

Diego Coello de Portugal y Quesada (19 August 1820 – 5 April 1897) was a Spanish diplomat, politician and journalist.

Early life Coello was born on 19 August 1820 in Jaén into an aristocratic family. He was the eldest son of Don Diego Coello de Portugal y del Castillo and Doña Josefa de Quesada y Vial. Among his fifteen siblings were Lt.-Col. of Engineers Francisco Coello de Portugal y Quesada (1822–1898) and Lt.-Gen. José Coello de Portugal y Quesada (1830–1906), whose son, Gen. Rafael Coello y Oliván, was Minister of the Interior and Governor of Zaragoza.

Career After studying law in Seville, he became interested in politics and entered the Foreign service in 1844. he collaborated with La Época, La Illustration Española y Americana, New York News, El Diario de Barcelona and El Diario de la Marina de La Habana.

From 30 May 1875 until 4 March 1881, he was the ambassador in Rome (the capital of the Kingdom of Italy). In 1884, he became the diplomatic representative of Spain in the Ottoman Empire, succeeding his friend the Count of Rascón.

Later life

In 1873, he founded the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome which was concerned with the restoration of other buildings belonging to the Spanish State. After his retirement in 1890, he remained in Rome as the head of the Commission of the Pious Places of Jerusalem.