Ernest Rouquaud (1822–1907) was a French trader, settler and colonizer of Argentine

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

. In 1871 he obtained the concession of the Argentine Government in to found a colony in Santa Cruz Province.

Biography

He was born in

Montgiscard Montgiscard () is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department of southwestern France. Population Twin towns Montgiscard is twinned with: * Campolongo Tapogliano, Italy, since 2005 See also *Communes of the Haute-Garonne department The follo ...

, France, son of Jacques Rouquaud and Julia Keenton, belonging to a family of Anglo-French roots. He had reached the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

in 1841, during the government of

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 ...

. In his early years in Argentina, Rouquaud was the owner of an industrial establishment located in the suburbs of

Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, and is connected ...

(Buenos Aires Province) where processed

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

products. Rouquaud was linked with

Luis Piedrabuena Luis Piedrabuena (; 24 August 1833 - 10 August 1883) was an Argentina, Argentine sailor whose actions in southern Argentina consolidated national sovereignty at a time when these lands were virtually uninhabited and were not protected by the state. ...

, a pioneer in the exploration of southern Argentina. In 1872, the President

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...

granted to Ernest Rouquaud, a concession in Santa Cruz Province. He aspired to colonize and exploit marine resources of the South Argentine. On January 22, 1872 sailed from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

the

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

"Roebuck", of nine hundred tons, toward the Patagonia. Installed in the Patagonian territory the Rouquaud family, had planned to install a

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

industry, plus two establishments for the manufacture of oil. In 1872 the Argentine Congress granted him a concession of fifty leagues in located on both banks of the Santa Cruz River. Ernest Rouquaud had commercial relations with the inhabitants of the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

(Islas Malvinas). In 1873 he arrived at the islands aboard the English

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, the Tucutayú, with the intention of buying cattle to the Kelpers. Through his brother, Pablo Germán Rouquaud, his last name is linked to

Luis Vernet Luis Vernet (born Louis Vernet; March 6, 1791 – January 17, 1871) was a merchant from Hamburg of Huguenot descent. Vernet established a settlement on East Falkland in 1828, after first seeking approval from both the British and Argentine autho ...

and Greenleaf Cilley, governor and military commander of the Malvinas prior to the British dominance. Rouqaud's enterprise in Patagonia didn't end up well: Facing constant pressures from the Chilean Government, which at the time, did not recognise Argentinian sovereignty south of Santa Cruz River- family tragedies and lack of success in his business, he was forced to abandon his colony in 1874.

Family

Ernest Rouquaud was married on August 2, 1843, in

Buenos Aires Cathedral The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires) is the main Catholic church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the city center, overlooking Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia ...

to María Luisa Périchon, daughter of Luis Périchon and Catalina Castex, belonging to a French family from

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He and his wife were the parents of numerous children, including Eloisa Rouquaud Périchon (1843), wife of Alfonso Lennuyeux, Julia Rouquaud Périchon, mother of Augusto Mallié Rouquaud, Ernesto Rouquaud Périchon (1854-1874), Pablo Rouquaud Périchon, Elisa Rouquaud Périchon, Alfonso Rouquaud Périchon, Emilio Rouquaud Périchon, Augusto Rouquaud Périchon (1863-1928), Julio Rouquaud Périchon, Maria Luisa Rouquaud Périchon and Matilde Luisa Rouquaud Périchon, married to Juan Broussain Garat, son Pedro Broussain and Gracianne Garat, natives of France. His son, Pablo Rouquaud, died drowned in Santa Cruz River. His wife, María Luisa Perichon, died in 1872 in Corpen Aike at the age of 47.

References

External links

Matrimonios 1830-1857Argentina, National Census, 1869
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouquaud, Ernest 1822 births 1907 deaths Explorers of Argentina Explorers of South America People from Buenos Aires People from Lot-et-Garonne French people of English descent French merchants French emigrants to Argentina