Norberto Piñero (1858–1938) was a prominent Argentine lawyer, writer and conservative politician.

Life and times

Norberto Piñero was born to a landed family in the

Province of Buenos Aires 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 ...

, in 1858. He enrolled at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most prestigi ...

and received a '' juris doctor'' in 1882.''Historical Dictionary of Argentina.'' London: Scarecrow Press, 1978. Becoming a Law Professor at his alma mater, Piñero joined his academic colleagues, Rodolfo Rivarola and José Nicolás Matienzo, in drafting a proposal for the overhaul of Argentina's penal code, in 1890.Opinorama: el código y la vida
Presented to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1891, the proposal was notable for its elevation crimes committed in the exercise of

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

to a unified category whose severity would be just below that of sedition or

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. The bill met with resistance in Congress, particularly in the Senate, though it was largely adopted in 1903. Piñero was appointed Interventor of the Province of San Luis in 1896, following which he participated in negotiations on Argentina's border dispute with Chile. He then began advancing

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an i ...

as a means to foster an infant, though growing, industrial sector, and established a

technology school An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

, the Society for Industrial Education, in 1900. His work as Dean of the school earned Piñero an appointment in 1906 as Minister of Education by President

José Figueroa Alcorta José María Cornelio Figueroa Alcorta (November 20, 1860 – December 27, 1931) was an Argentine lawyer and politician, who managed to be the only person to head the three powers of the State: Vice President of the Nation (President of the ...

, a relatively pro-reform conservative who presided over the enactment of many of the nation's first labor laws. Piñero hosted the

International Congress of Americanists The International Congress of Americanists (ICA) is an international academic conference for research in multidisciplinary studies of the Americas. Established August 25, 1875 in Nancy, France, the scholars' forum has met regularly since its incept ...

, in 1910. Responding to a lack of a uniform body governing ethical practices among

Argentine Law The Legal system of Argentina is a Civil law legal system. The pillar of the Civil system is the Constitution of Argentina (1853). The Argentine Constitution of 1853 was an attempt to unite the unstable and young country of the United Provinces ...

yers, Piñero helped establish the Buenos Aires Bar Association (''Colegio de Abogados de Buenos Aires''), in 1913, and served as its first president. He was also honored with the presidency of the new, National Commission on Teatro Cervantes, in 1916. Piñero was nominated by the conservative National Concentration alliance to run against the incumbent Radical Civic Union (UCR) in the 1922 elections, though he was defeated by the UCR by around 40%.Nohlen, Dieter. ''Elections in the Americas.'' Oxford University Press, 2005. Piñero retired from political life, devoting his time to writing numerous texts on Argentine history and law, as well as to the Mitre Institution, a historical society specializing in the life of former President Bartolomé Mitre. Piñero died in 1938, at age 80.

References and external links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinero, Norberto 20th-century Argentine lawyers Argentine criminologists Candidates for President of Argentina University of Buenos Aires alumni People from Buenos Aires Province Ambassadors of Argentina to Chile Argentine people of Spanish descent 1858 births 1938 deaths Argentine Ministers of Finance Argentine ministers of education 19th-century Argentine lawyers