Author: Robert

Born in 1802 —a few years before independence from Spain— Valentín Alsina studied law & obtained his first government post under the presidency of Bernardino Rivadavia. Short-lived, politics became much more complicated after Rosas took charge in 1829. Although Alsina formed part of the opposition to Rosas, he was protected by his father-in-law, Manuel Vicente Maza… an early Rosas supporter who switched sides & was eventually assassinated by Rosas’ troops.

Arrested & imprisioned, Alsina managed to escape to Uruguay in 1837 where he continued to oppose Rosas in the newspapers, along with other exiles like his neighbor in Recoleta Cemetery, Florencio Varela. After the defeat of Rosas in 1852, Alsina returned to Buenos Aires to oppose Urquiza as well. He was elected Governor of Buenos Aires but served for only a brief period due to another uprising.

The following year Alsina presided over the committee which adopted the first provincial constitution, separating Buenos Aires from the rest of Urquiza’s Confederación Argentina. During this period, he oversaw the opening of the first rail line in Argentina & brought back the remains of his former boss, President Rivadavia, for burial in Recoleta Cemetery.

After winning the 1859 Battle of Cepeda, Urquiza forced Buenos Aires to join the confederacy & Alsina had to step down. But he continued in government & occupied the top spot in the national Senate where Valentín sweared in his son, Adolfo Alsina, as Vice-President under Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. He passed away soon after in 1869. Of his numerous contributions to Argentina, Alsina is probably best known for being the first director of the provincial institution which would later become the National Library as well as the author of the nation’s first penal code.

Alsina’s statue by Belgian sculptor Jacques de Braekeleer shines after a thorough cleaning in 2011:

Update (19 Aug 2014): The Biblioteca Nacional recently made the following image from 1876 by photographer Christiano Junior available. Wish those trees were still around!

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Born in 1880—just as Argentina settled decades of internal conflict & millions of immigrants began to arrive—Alfredo Palacios would be remembered as the first Socialist Party member elected to any congress in Latin America. Palacios’ early life was not easy, especially after his Uruguayan father decided to recognize legally all 19 of his children… Alfredo being one of the illegitimate ones. This meant little money in the household, but Palacios worked hard to get a good education.

Noticed for his oratory skills even as a teenager, Palacios eventually graduated with a law degree. Committed to helping the underdog, his doctoral thesis titled “La Misería en la República Argentina” went hand-in-hand with a sign posted at his residence/office: “Lawyer. Free services for the poor.”

Palacios experienced a memorable first term in Congress when he uncovered & exposed money laundering in—of all things—the construction of the national Congress building itself. Briefly kicked out of the Socialist Party for wanting to settle a disagreement with a duel, he continued to be active in various universities & traveled extensively throughout South America. Palacios opposed US intervention in Latin American affairs during the 1920’s as much as he opposed the 1930 military coup in Argentina.

Other causes dear to Palacios were repatriation of the Falkland Islands, better health care & living conditions in northern Argentina & in 1938 he tried to pass a bill for female suffrage. He remained at odds with Perón & had brief conflict with every administration afterwards. Palacios always remained true to socialist principles, even giving half his income to the Socialist Party.

In 1965 while serving as a diputado in Congress, Palacios passed away with practically no money to his name. He never married & had no children, so I’ve been unable to determine how or why he was buried in the Arroqui mausoleum. Perhaps a brother or sister married into the Arroqui family? If anyone has additional information, please post a comment below.

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