Bernardino de la Trinidad Gónzalez Rivadavia y Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first
presidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
, from February 8 1826 to July 7 1827.
Bernardino Rivadavia was of African descent and his political rivals used to call him
Doctor Chocolate.
Rivadavia was born in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1780. In 1809 he married with Juana del Pino y Vera, daughter of the
viceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. His province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty. The relative...
of the
Río de la PlataThe Río de la Plata —always rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries— is the river formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River...
, Joaquín del Pino.
Rivadavia was active in both the Argentine resistance to the British invasion of 1806 and in the
May RevolutionThe May Revolution was a series of revolutionary political and social events that took place during the early nineteenth century in the city of Buenos Aires, capitol of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a colony of the Spanish Crown which at the time contained the present-day nations of...
movement for
Argentine IndependenceWhat today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. Actually, Argentina was not a country yet; the congressmen joined in Tucuman declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America...
in 1810.
Bernardino de la Trinidad Gónzalez Rivadavia y Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first
presidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
, from February 8 1826 to July 7 1827.
Bernardino Rivadavia was of African descent and his political rivals used to call him
Doctor Chocolate.
Early life
Rivadavia was born in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1780. In 1809 he married with Juana del Pino y Vera, daughter of the
viceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. His province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty. The relative...
of the
Río de la PlataThe Río de la Plata —always rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries— is the river formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River...
, Joaquín del Pino.
Career
Rivadavia was active in both the Argentine resistance to the British invasion of 1806 and in the
May RevolutionThe May Revolution was a series of revolutionary political and social events that took place during the early nineteenth century in the city of Buenos Aires, capitol of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a colony of the Spanish Crown which at the time contained the present-day nations of...
movement for
Argentine IndependenceWhat today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. Actually, Argentina was not a country yet; the congressmen joined in Tucuman declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America...
in 1810. In 1811, Rivadavia became the dominating member of the governing
triumvirateA triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
as Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of War. Until its fall in October 1812, this government focused on creating a strong central government, moderating relations with
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, and organizing an
armyAn army An army An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
.
Rivadavia was later sent to Europe to improve Argentine relations with Britain and
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. He returned six years later, in May 1821.
In June 1821, he was named minister of government to Buenos Aires governor Martín Rodríguez. Over the next five years, he exerted a strong influence, and focused heavily on improving
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
city, often at the expense of greater Argentina. To make the former look more European, Rivadavia constructed large avenues, schools, paved and lighted streets. He founded the
University of Buenos AiresThe University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America, surpassing both the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Universidade Estácio de Sá of Brazil...
, as well as the Theater,
GeologyGeology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structure, physical properties, dynamics, and history of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed...
, and
MedicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
Academies and the continent's first
museum of natural scienceThe Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum is a public museum located in the Caballito section of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-History and overview:...
.
He persuaded the legislature to authorize a one-million pound loan for public works that were never undertaken. The provincial bonds were sold in London through the Baring Brothers Bank, local and Buenos Aires-based British traders also acting as financial intermediaries. The borrowed money was in turn lent to these businessmen, who never repaid it. Of the original million pounds the Buenos Aires government received only £552,700. The province's foreign debt was transferred to the nation in 1825, its final repayment being made in 1904.
A strong supporter of a powerful, centralized government in Argentina, Rivadavia often faced violent resistance from the opposition federalists. In 1826, Rivadavia was elected the first
President of ArgentinaThe President of Argentina is the head of state of Argentina...
. During his term he founded many museums, and expanded the
national libraryA national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
.
Government
His government had many problems, primarily an
ongoing warThe Argentina-Brazil War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental or "Eastern Strip" in the 1820s between the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.-Background:Against the background of...
with
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
over territory in modern
UruguayUruguay , is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.1 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88–94% of the population are of mostly European and/or mixed descent.Uruguay's only land border is...
and resistance from provincial authorities. Faced with the rising power of the Federalist Party and with several provinces in open revolt, Rivadavia submitted his resignation on June 29, 1827. He was succeeded by
Vicente López y PlanesAlejandro Vicente López y Planes was an Argentine writer and politician who acted as interim President of Argentina from July 7 1827 to August 18 1827...
. At first he returned to private life, but fled to exile in Europe in 1829.
Rivadavia returned to Argentina in 1834 to confront his political enemies, but was immediately sentenced again to exile. He went first to Brazil and then to Spain, where he died September 2, 1845. He asked that his body would never be brought back to Buenos Aires.
Further reading
- David Bushnell, Reform and Reaction in the Platine Provinces 1810-1852 (Gainesville, Florida, 1983)
- Miron Burgin, The Economic Aspects of Argentine Federalism, 1820-1852 (Cambridge, 1946)
- H.S. Ferns, Britain and Argentina in the Nineteenth Century (Oxford, 1960)
- Jonathan Harris, 'Bernardino Rivadavia and Benthamite "discipleship"', Latin American Research Review 33 (1998), 129-49
- John Lynch, Argentine Dictator. Juan Manuel de Rosas 1829-1852 (Oxford, 1981)
- Ricardo Piccirilli, Rivadavia y su tiempo, 2 vols. (Buenos Aires, 1943)