Student, Scholar, and Philanthropist Guillermo De Osma: The First Modern Spaniard at Oxford

A Cuban-born of French, American and Peruvian origin and the first Spaniard to study at Oxford after the Universities Tests Act 1871, Guillermo de Osma (1853–1922) was known in his time as a diplomat, politician, art collector, and scholar. He was the first president of the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra, served as Spain’s Minister of Finance and president of the Council of State, and founded the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan (IVDJ) in Madrid, a research centre and cultural treasure trove housed in his former home and showcasing items from his art collection. Yet, despite his active role in Spanish public and cultural life, and his unique links with Oxford, today, Osma is a little-known figure in the Spanish-speaking world and remains virtually unknown in Anglophone countries.

Guillermo de Osma (1853–1922).

          Osma must have been an extremely rare sight when he arrived at Oxford to read Modern History in 1871 due to his faith, place of birth, and nationality. It is not surprising, then, that Osma’s time at Oxford had a lasting effect on him. Osma kept the furniture, including the desk, from his student days at Oxford in his study at the family home in Madrid, which now houses the IVDJ. There are still several photographs from his student days hanging on the walls of his study and on the mantelpiece, including a picture of his college rooms, a group photograph from Pembroke College, Oxford, and a picture of an ivy-covered Oxford quad. A banner bearing the coat of arms of Pembroke holds a prominent place in the house.

Guillermo de Osma in a group photo at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Osma made some lifelong friends at Oxford, including Sir Maurice de Bunsen – later British ambassador at Madrid – and Evelyn Hubbard. Together they carried on the negotiations with the University to establish the first Spanish studentship and modern endowment at Oxford––the de Osma Studentship––in 1920. The Studentship, open to both men and women since its foundation, continues to be under the exclusive remit of the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. Although women were allowed to matriculate at Oxford in the academic year 1920–21, Inez Pearn, of Somerville College, was the first woman to be awarded the de Osma Studentship in 1935 and remained the only female de Osma Student until 1978, when Aviva Aviv, an Israeli DPhil candidate based at St Antony’s College, became the first non-British student to receive the Studentship.

Inez Pearn, 1937-8.

Osma Students have described the de Osma Studentship as ‘a truly magical experience’, ‘very useful’, and ‘a great enabler’ of their research and later careers, suggesting that Osma succeeded in his pioneering effort to create an enduring studentship that would support and promote Spanish Studies at Oxford. The Osma Studentship has been held by many distinguished Oxford-trained Hispanists over the past hundred years, including George A. Kolkhorst, Peter Russell, Ronald Hilton, Alan Forey, Henry Kamen, Anthony Pagden, Jeremy Lawrance, Jeremy Robbins, and Mariam Rosser-Owen. Following the Chancellor’s visit to Osma’s house in Madrid in 2019 and the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Vice-Chancellor and the Duke of Alba, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the IVDJ, many Osma Students came together at the Bodleian Library, Convocation House, and Pembroke in February 2020 to celebrate the centenary of the Studentship.

Yet, the extent of Osma’s trust and affection for his alma mater lies beyond the creation of the Osma Studentship. According to the statutes of the IVDJ penned by Osma himself, Oxford has the mandate to ensure that the statutes are followed and, in cases where statutory duty is breached, take ownership of the IVDJ’s assets and transfer its extraordinary collection to Oxford. The IVDJ’s link with Oxford would unexpectedly turn out to be of utmost importance during the Spanish Civil War when the Union Jack was raised off the Instituto’s balcony and Osma’s collection came under British protection.

The abolition of the Universities Tests Act 1871 was fundamental to Osma’s career, enabling him to later make important contributions to Oxford and British Hispanism. Next year’s centenary of his death will, hopefully, continue to allow us to learn more about the life of the first modern Spaniard to study at Oxford.

Marina Pérez de Arcos is a DPIR and Centre of International Studies Research Associate, co-founder of the Oxford Global Thinkers Project. This piece is based on research for an article published in the Hispanic Research Journal entitled ‘Individual, Institution, and Impact: The Untold History of the de Osma Studentship in Spanish Studies at Oxford’.