José Fondevila García (1884 - 1973) was born in 1884 in the small village of , Lalín, province of Pontevedra, in the Spanish north-west region of Galicia. At the age of seventeen, he emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he first began with Union activities. In his trips through some Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico, he took part in several struggles related with problems in the working environment. He finished his voyage in New York City, where he established himself as a mechanic.