- For the city, see Valentín Alsina, Buenos Aires
Valentín Alsina is a city in the Lanús Partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is located next to Buenos Aires city in the Gran Buenos Aires urban area....
.
Valentín Alsina (1802 – September 6, 1869) was an
ArgentineArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
lawyer and politician.
Alsina was born in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and studied law at the
University of CórdobaThe National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
. He occupied diverse posts in government, and had a successful civil career as an advocate and professor of law at the
University of Buenos AiresThe University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
. Under the government of
Juan Manuel de RosasJuan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
, he had to leave the country, as his liberal ideas did not please the dictator at all. From his refuge in
MontevideoMontevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, he supported the opposition against de Rosas, both financially and through publications.
When Rosas was deposed by
Justo José de UrquizaJusto José de Urquiza y García was an Argentine general and politician. He was president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.He was governor of Entre Ríos during the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas, governor of Buenos Aires with powers delegated from the other provinces...
, Alsina returned to Buenos Aires, and he was elected provincial Governor in 1852. However, he resigned after a few months, shortly before a military coup took place. In 1853, Buenos Aires left the
Argentine ConfederationThe Argentine Confederation is one of the official names of Argentina, according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35...
and declared itself an independent State. Alsina, a fervent supporter of
Buenos Aires ProvinceThe Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
independence, became Governor again in 1857. In 1859, open hostilities broke out between Buenos Aires and the Argentine Confederation, led by Urquiza. After the defeat of the Buenos Aires army at the
Battle of CepedaThe Battle of Cepeda of 1859 took place on October 23 at Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina. The Republic of the Argentine Confederation army, led by Federal Justo José de Urquiza defeated the Province of Buenos Aires forces, led by Unitarian Bartolomé Mitre.-The battle in context:Before the...
on October 23, 1859, Alsina had to resign his post, and shortly after Buenos Aires rejoined the Confederation. Alsina became a member of the
Argentine SenateThe Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
in 1862.
When
Bartolomé MitreBartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
(
President of ArgentinaThe President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
between 1862 and 1868) offered him a position as member of the Argentine Supreme Court he refused and remained serving as a Senator until his death, which occurred just a few months after he took the oath of his son
Adolfo AlsinaAdolfo Alsina Maza was an Argentine lawyer and Unitarian politician, and one of the founders of the Partido Autonomista and the National Autonomist Party.-Biography:...
, who became Vice President of Argentina in 1868.
See also
- List of Presidents of Argentina