Wenceslao Benitez Inglott


Wenceslao Benítez Inglott was a Spanish navy officer, scientist, and engineer.

Biography

He was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 30 April 1879, son of the lawyer Eduardo Benítez González and of Maria del Pino Inglott Navarro. After studying in the Colegio de San Agustín he enrolled in the Naval Military Academy in 1893.
In 1940, upon Benítez Inglott's retirement, the Minister of the Navy recommended him to become honorary Counter admiral of the Spanish Navy for his scientific and military services.. He was also an Hydrographic Engineer and director of the Spanish Naval Military Academy. He was also director of the Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada, at San Fernando, where he had previously been deputy director. He taught in the Escuela de Guardias Marinas, de la Aplicación and of the Hydrographic Engineers. In April 1942 he was elected member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences with medal number 5. His opening speech was entitled El Universo Sideral.
He passed away on 22 December 1954.

Awards and honours

Cross of Naval Naval Merit
Grand Cross of Naval Merit
Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild
Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
An institute of secondary education in San Fernando is named after him and so are three streets: in his hometown, in San Fernando, and in Arinaga.