Francisco Álvarez Campana (1707–1773) was a Spanish merchant and politician, who served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as Regidor and Attorney General of Buenos Aires. He was the founder of the Colegio de Huérfanas de Buenos Aires, an educational institute dedicated to the teaching of orphan girls. The city of

Campana Campana (Italian and Spanish for "bell") may refer to: Places * Campana Partido, Argentina, a ''partido'' (administrative subdivision) in Buenos Aires Province ** Campana, Buenos Aires Province, a city in Campana Partido * Campana Island, Capit� ...

in the Province of Buenos Aires was founded in 1885 in honor of Francisco Álvarez Campana, owner of those lands towards the middle of the 18th century.

Biography

He was born in Cádiz, Spain, the son of Bernardo Alvarez Campana y Montes de Oca and Josefa Manuela Vega y Olivera, belonging to illustrious Andalusian families from

El Puerto de Santa María EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

and the

Isla de León The Isla de León is a historical name for the piece of land between the city of Cádiz and the Iberian peninsula, in Spain. In 1813, it was renamed San Fernando in honor of King Fernando VII of Spain for his courage in the defense of the cit ...

. He studied in his native country and settled in Buenos Aires around the beginning of 1750, holding various positions related to charitable entities, including as Hermano Mayor of the

Hermandad de la Santa Caridad of Buenos Aires Santa Hermandad (, "holy brotherhood") was a type of military peacekeeping association of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in Castile. Modern hermandades in Spain, some of which evo ...

in 1754. That same year he requested to the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

of the Cabildo authorization for the construction of the Casa de Niñas Huérfanas (School of Orphans). The authorization for the foundation of the home of charity came through the royal cedula of 16 October 1754. He also requested the council to notify the King of the need to build a care home for homeless and an hospital of the Charity in the College The house of orphans had a room with thirteen beds for women, attended by the slaves and orphans of the college. For the year of 1754, Francisco Álvarez Campana asked the City Council to suspend the bullfights that were to take place during the celebration of the Jubilee. In 1760 Campana is appointed to occupy the position of Regidor and later as Procurador General of Buenos Aires. He also dedicated himself to commerce, and by 1765 he installed a tannery on the banks of Riachuelo. His factory caused serious ecological damages in the area. He was owner of the

hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

known by the name of "Rincón de Campana", where he dedicated himself to the breeding of cattle. In 1766, Campana was arrested by royal order for having acquired property on behalf of another person. The government of Buenos Aires had confiscated all his properties located in the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of Peru. He regained his liberty in 1771, requesting permission of the authorities, to return to take charge of the direction of the Escuela Huérfanas. He was married on 17 October 1762, in Buenos Aires to Isabel Gil Rodríguez, daughter of Nicolás Gil and Bartola Rodríguez Osorio. His brother, José Álvarez Campana, a knight belonging to the order Order of Santiago, served as alcalde ordinario of Veracruz in 1737. On 18 April 1875, the brothers Eduardo and Luis Costa founded the town of

(Buenos Aires Province) in honor of Francisco Álvarez Campana, who was the first owner of these lands in 1757.

References

External links

Bautismos 1752–1775www.campana.gov.ar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campana Álvarez, Francisco 1707 births 1773 deaths Spanish merchants Viceroyalty of Peru people Politicians from Buenos Aires Spanish colonial governors and administrators 18th-century Spanish nobility Spanish noble families 18th-century Spanish businesspeople Spanish Roman Catholics