Carlos Casares (February 13, 1830 – May 2, 1883) was an Argentine rancher, executive, and politician.

Life and times

Carlos Gumersindo Casares was born to Gervasia Rodríguez Rojo and

Vicente Casares Vicente Casares is a village in the Cañuelas Partido of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argenti ...

, in 1830.Genealogía Familiar: Carlos Gumersindo Casares Rodríguez Rojo
/ref> His father, born in Vizcaya,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, served as the first Spanish Consul to Argentina. His parents became influential ranchers in Argentina, and he studied in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Casares became a vocal opponent of

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

Governor

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...

, and he was jailed for a time. Following the strongman's fall at the 1852

Battle of Caseros The Battle of Caseros ( es, Batalla de Caseros) was fought near the town of El Palomar, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on 3 February 1852, between the Army of Buenos Aires commanded by Juan Manuel de Rosas and the Grand Army (''Ejército ...

, he entered politics, and in 1857, was elected to the Provincial Legislature. He bred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

s in subsequent years, and became a member of the board of the

Buenos Aires Western Railway The Buenos Aires Western Railway (BAWR) (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Oeste de Buenos Aires), inaugurated in the city of Buenos Aires on 29 August 1857, was the first railway built in Argentina and the start of the extensive rail network which was ...

. He married María Josefa Martínez de Hoz, the daughter of prominent landowners, and had one son. He affiliated himself with

Adolfo Alsina Adolfo Alsina Maza (January 4, 1829 – December 29, 1877) was an Argentine lawyer and Unitarian politician, who was one of the founders of the Autonomist Party and the National Autonomist Party.Ione S. Wright and Lisa M. Nekhom, ''Histori ...

's Buenos Aires-centric

Autonomist Party The Autonomist Party ( it, Partito Autonomista; hr, Autonomaška stranka) was an Italian-Dalmatianist political party in the Dalmatian political scene, that existed for around 70 years of the 19th century and until World War I. Its goal was ...

, and in 1875, the party's standard-bearer, President

Nicolás Avellaneda Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Avellaneda Silva (3 October 1837 – 24 November 1885) was an Argentine politician and journalist, and President of Argentina from 1874 to 1880. Avellaneda's main projects while in office were banking and education ...

, appointed Casares

Governor of Buenos Aires The Governor of Buenos Aires Province ( es, Gobernador de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) is a citizen of the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, holding the office of governor for the corresponding period. The governor is elected alongside a vic ...

; the appointment of Casares, a moderate, contributed to an improvement in relations with provincial ''

Caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; osp, cabdillo, from Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise definition of ''caudillo'', which is often used interchangeably with " ...

s'' from the hinterland, and fomented national unity. Casares enacted the Law of Common Education, a precursor to the

Argentine Law 1420 The Law 1420 of General Common Education of Argentina was a landmark national law that dictated public, compulsory, free, and secular education. It was passed in 1884 during the administration of President Julio Argentino Roca, after a number of si ...

of 1884, which mandated universal, compulsory, free and secular

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

. He stepped down in 1878 upon the election of separatist Carlos Tejedor. Amid resurfacing tensions, Casares headed the Autonomist Party committee that nominated General

Julio Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...

ahead of the 1880 presidential election. Casares was appointed Director of the

Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires The Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires ( es, Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires), better known as Banco Provincia, is a publicly owned bank in Argentina and the second-largest in the country by value of assets and deposits. History The prog ...

in 1882, Bapro
and died at his Magdalena ranch in 1883.

References

*''Historical Dictionary of Argentina''. London:Scarecrow Press, 1978. 1830 births 1883 deaths People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine businesspeople Governors of Buenos Aires Province Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Patrician families of Buenos Aires {{Argentina-politician-stub