Carlos Tejedor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Deputy | |
| In office 1898–1902 | |
| Constituency | Buenos Aires |
| In office 1874 1866–1869 | |
| Constituency | Buenos Aires Province |
| Governor of Buenos Aires | |
| In office 1878–1880 | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Casares |
| Succeeded by | José María Moreno |
| Minister of Foreign Relations | |
| In office 1870–1874 | |
| Preceded by | Mariano Varela |
| Succeeded by | Pedro A. Pardo |
| Attorney General of Argentina | |
| In office 1875–1878 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco Pico |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Costa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1817 |
| Died | January 3, 1903(1903-01-03) (aged 85) |
| Spouse | Etelvina Ocampo |
Carlos Tejedor (November 4, 1817 – January 3, 1903) was anArgentine jurist and politician, Governor ofBuenos Aires Province between 1878 and 1880. Tejedor was a prominent figure in the movement against theFederalization of Buenos Aires.
Tejedor was born inBuenos Aires to Antonia Carrero and Antonio Tejedor, in 1817. He enrolled at theUniversity of Buenos Aires, where he earned alaw degree in 1837, and married Etelvina Ocampo. He became a prominent supporter of the interests of Buenos Aires, and joined Ramón Maza in an 1839 plot against GovernorJuan Manuel de Rosas. The group protested what they saw as too many concessions on the part of Rosas toward other provincialCaudillos in order to buttress the fragileArgentine Confederation. Following Maza's execution, however, Tejedor joinedUnitarian Party leader GeneralJuan Lavalle, and fled toChile, where he resumed his law practice and became a friend and ally of future Chilean PresidentManuel Montt.
He returned to Buenos Aires following Rosas' overthrow after theBattle of Caseros of 1852, and became a central figure in the movement led byValentín Alsina against theFederalization of Buenos Aires as the national capital through his position of editor-in-chief ofEl Nacional. He opposed theSan Nicolás Agreement,Entre Ríos leaderJusto José de Urquiza's bid for national unity, and plotted the assassination of Urquiza with theLogia Juan-Juan. The attempt on Urquiza a failure, a revolt erupted in Buenos Aires on September 11, 1852, and the latter province became independent of the Confederation for the remainder of the decade. Tejedor then collaborated withDalmacio Vélez Sarsfield in the drafting of a Provincial Constitution for Buenos Aires, the following year.
Tejedor negotiated the surrender of Buenos Aires forces at theBattle of Cepeda (1859), leading to thePact of San José de Flores and to Buenos Aires' recognition of theArgentine Constitution. Tejedor, however, rallied opposition to the treaty, and in particular, its provisions for thefederalization of theBuenos Aires Customs. Ultimately, these disputes led to theBattle of Pavón (1861), where GeneralBartolomé Mitre's victory allowed Tejedor and other Buenos Aires leaders to impose terms for the province's readmission into Argentina.
Following Mitre's 1862 election asPresident of Argentina, Tejedor was charged with codifying the nation'spenal code. He was elected to theArgentine Chamber of Deputies in 1866, and was appointedForeign Minister in 1870 by PresidentDomingo Sarmiento. His tenure in the post was highlighted by international boundary negotiations following theParaguayan War.
Allegations ofelectoral fraud in the elections of 1874, in which Mitre was defeated for the Presidency, led to another revolt by the former president; its prompt defeat led to his exile, however, and Tejedor was sworn in as Congressman in his replacement. Viewed as a die-hard proponent of Buenos Aires privileges by lawmakers from the hinterland, he resigned, and served briefly as director of theNational Library of Argentina, and asAmbassador to Brazil. He accepted the post of Solicitor General for PresidentNicolás Avellaneda in 1875, contributing to the advancement of thecommercial andcivil codes. He then served as Dean of theUniversity of Buenos Aires Law School in 1876 and 1877.
Returning to politics, he was electedGovernor of Buenos Aires in 1878, and in 1880, ran for the Presidency in opposition toNational Autonomist Party leaderJulio Roca. Winning only in Buenos Aires andCorrientes Provinces, Tejedor organized an uprising, forcing the temporary relocation of Federal Government offices toBelgrano (then a suburb of the capital). His defeat led to his resignation as governor, and negotiations begun in his stead by Mitre with the victor, President Roca, led to the definitive establishment of Buenos Aires as the nation's capital. He published a memoir of the events,La defensa de Buenos Aires, in 1881, and returned to academia and private law practice.
Tejedor was again elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1894 for Buenos Aires, serving until 1898. He died in Buenos Aires in 1903, at age 85, and was buried in theLa Recoleta Cemetery. TheCarlos Tejedor Partido of Buenos Aires Province is named after him.
| Preceded by | Governor ofBuenos Aires Province 1878–1880 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
