Martín Rodríguez (politician)

For the Argentine tennis player, see Martín Rodríguez (tennis).

Martín Rodríguez (4 July 1771 – 5 March 1845) was an Argentine politician and soldier.

Born in Buenos Aires, Rodríguez inherited a ranch, managing the estate until 1806. He then took part in the resistance to the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, during the Napoleonic Wars. Later, he played an important role in the events of the May Revolution of 1810 and, with the establishment of the First Junta which resulted, he was sent to the province of Entre Ríos to support the activities of Manuel Belgrano in the Paraguay campaign.

Later, as colonel of a unit of Hussars, Rodríguez organized the militias that menaced a political meeting in April 1811, in an attempt to support Cornelio Saavedra. As a result of this, Rodríguez was temporarily imprisoned in San Juan, Argentina.

The following year Rodríguez intervened in the Battle of Salta. He was chief of the general staff of the Army of the North, and later acted as the president of Charcas. Rejoining the troops, he participated in the defeats of Venta and Media and in the Battle of Sipe-Sipe.

In 1820 Rodríguez was named Governor of Buenos Aires Province. He appointed Bernardino Rivadavia as Minister of State and endertook a series reforms. He enacted land reform, promoting the use of fallow lands, limited the power of the Church, the police and of the military, restored relations with Northeastern Caudillo Estanislao López, and founded the city of Tandil, the nation's first Natural Sciences Museum the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires and the University of Buenos Aires, among other public institutions.

He was succeeded in his post in 1824 by Juan Gregorio de las Heras, and returned to military duty. Rodríguez took part in the suppression of indigenous raids, and headed the Observation Army during the Cisplatine War, from 1825 to 1827.

He returned to Buenos Aires, and later became an opponent of Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas, joining Unitarian League leader José María Paz in an 1841-42 rebellion against the Federalist regime. The uprising failed, however, and Rodríguez was exiled to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he died in 1845.

The city of General Rodríguez, west of Buenos Aires, was named in his honor upon its establishment in 1878.

Reference

• Historical Dictionary of Argentina. London: Scarecrow Press, 1978.

External links

• Martín Rodríguez (politician) at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Rodriguez, Martin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	7/4/1771
Place of birth	Buenos Aires
Date of death	3/5/1845
Place of death	Montevideo