María Cegarra Salcedo

María Cegarra Salcedo (1899–1993) was a Spanish chemist, teacher, and poet. She was the first woman graduate in chemistry in Spain. In her later life, Cegarra was a councillor in her hometown, being the first female councillor of the La Unión Town Hall.

Early life María Cegarra Salcedo was born in La Unión, Murcia on 28 November 1899. Her father was a merchant and her mother a teacher of Andalusian origin. The literary precedent in her family was her brother Andrés Cegarra Salcedo, writer and creator of (Levante publishing house).

Career Chemist Between 1921 and 1924, Cegarra worked as a technical assistant in the industrial analysis laboratory of Francisco Munuera's widow, earning 200 pesetas a month. Cegarra obtained the title of Chemical Expert at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Alcoy (EPSA) on May 7, 1928. From the end of the 1920s and for several decades, she was in charge of her own chemical analysis laboratory, focused on mining, in the family home, located at: c/. Bailén n° 10. She maintained a close relationship with Hernández.

She collaborated in one of the most prestigious magazines of the time, La Gaceta Literaria, directed by Giménez Caballero. Her work was also seen in the magazines La Región, La Verdad, Tránsito, Levante Agrario, Títiro Canta, Monteagudo, among others. She published her Poesía completa (Complete Poetry) in 1987, with an introduction by Santiago Delgado. After the death of her sister, Cegarra's last work, Poemas para un silencio, was published. Cegarra entered politics as a councillor for the La Unión Town Hall in the 1960s, being the first female councillor of the La Unión Town Hall.

Death and legacy

María Cegarra Salcedo died in Murcia on 26 March 1993. She was named the Favorite Daughter of La Unión in 1992.

Selected works Mineros, 2018 (with Carmen Conde) Poemas para un silencio, 1999 Cada día conmigo, 1986 Poesía completa, 1986 Desvarío y fórmulas, 1978 Cristales míos, 1935,