Gabriel Tortella Casares (1936, Barcelona) University Emeritus professor of History and Economic Institutions University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.

Bachelor in Economics from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid (1962), he extended studies of economic history at the University of Wisconsin (1963-1966) with a Fulbright scholarship. PhD from the universities of Madrid and Pittsburgh. Professor at the universities of USA (Chicago, California, Harvard, Columbia) and Latin America (El Colegio de Mexico, Buenos Aires).

Founder of the AEHE (Asociación Española de Historia Económica). In collaboration with Jordi Nadal, the first AEHE congress was organized (Barcelona, May 11-12, 1972) sponsored by the Banco de España. First AEHE Secretary General from 1980 and president, 1997-2001. Currently honorary president & president 1994-1998 of the IAEH. President of the academic board of the European Association of Banking History. Member of the Humanity Section of the European Academy, of the European Academy of Sciences & Arts (Vienna and Madrid). Awards: Rey Juan Carlos I on Economics Prize in 1994. Founder and first director (1983-1993) of the Revista de Historia Económica, one of the oldest Latin American economic history journals.

He is one of the leading specialists in Spanish banking history and the history of financial institutions. Recently, he has investigated the problems of the Spanish economic development in comparative perspective with Europe and has devoted efforts to the dissemination of economic history. Selected publications: Los orígenes del capitalismo en España Tecnos, 1973. Co-author with J Nadal of Agricultura, comercio colonial y crecimiento económico en la España contemporánea Ariel, 1974. Co-author with P. Martín Aceña of La política monetaria en España, 1919-1935 Ministerio de Hacienda, 1984. Introducción a la economía para historiadores Tecnos, 1986. Co-author with JC Jiménez of Historia del Banco de Crédito Industrial Alianza, 1986. Co-author with J. Segura & F. Cabrillo of La reforma del estado asistencial Centro de Estudios Constitucionales, 1987. La maldición divina. Ignorancia y atraso económico en perspectiva histórica Madrid, 1993. El desarrollo de la España contemporánea. Historia económica de los siglos XIX y XX Madrid, 1994. The State, the Financial System, and Economic Modernization Cambridge, 1999. La revolución del siglo XX: Capitalismo, comunismo y democracia Taurus, 2000. Co-author with Alfonso Ballestero & José Luis Díaz Fernández of Del monopolio al libre mercado: la historia de la industria petrolera española LID, 2003. Los orígenes del siglo XXI. Un ensayo de historia social y económica contemporánea Gadir Editorial, 2005. Co-author with Magnus Jerneck, Magnus Morner & Sune Akerman of Different Paths to Modernity: A Nordic and Spanish Perspective, Nordic Academic Press, Lund, Sweden, 2005. Co-author with García Moreno of La democracia ayer y hoy 2008. Co-author with Leonardo Caruana Leonardo & José L. García Ruiz of De mutua a multinacional Mapfre, 1933-2008 Madrid, 2009.

The AEHE Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (2009).