Cayetano José Rodríguez

Cayetano José Rodríguez (1761 – 21 January 1823) was an Argentine cleric, journalist and poet. He was a representative to the

Congress of Tucumán The Congress of Tucumán was the representative assembly, initially meeting in San Miguel de Tucumán, that declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America (modern-day Argentina, Uruguay, part of Bolivia) on July 9, 1816, fro ...

of 9 July 1816 which declared the Independence of Argentina. Rodríguez was born in San Pedro, Buenos Aires Province and was educated at a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

school, joining the Order at 16. He became a priest in 1783 and entered the University of Córdoba, where he held the chairs of theology and philosophy 1783-1790. In 1790 he returned to Buenos Aires and taught theology and physics at the Franciscan convent. His teachings are preserved at the convent of San Francisco and in

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

. Rodríguez was impressed by the patriots and revolutionaries of the early 19th century, even dedicating a poem to the slaves who helped defend the city against the British invasions. He became a friend, teacher and protector of

Mariano Moreno Mariano Moreno (; September 23, 1778March 4, 1811) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution. Moreno was b ...

. In 1810, he was appointed head of the public library by the First Junta, serving until 1814; yet, despite working for the revolution, he was also appointed provincial superior of the Franciscan Order. Rodríguez became provincial minister in 1811 and member of the Assembly of 1813, although it was dissolved shortly after. In 1813 he was elected to the General Constituent Assembly and edited the assembly's newspaper. He was elected by the city of

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 ...

to the Tucumán Congress in 1815 and proposed a motion to set up a committee to prepare its constitution. It is believed that Rodríguez may have written the declaration of independence himself, in his capacity as editor of the Congress' papers. After the Congress, Rodríguez returned to his religious responsibilities and public works. In 1822 he founded the newspaper ', which he used to defend the church and its beliefs in opposition to ', which supported church reform and the government of Rivadavia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Cayetano Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose Rodriguez, Cayetano Jose People of the Argentine War of Independence 18th-century Argentine Roman Catholic priests