Dean Funes
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Gregorio Funes (May 25, 1749 – January 10, 1829), also known as ''Deán Funes'', was an Argentine clergyman, educator, historian, journalist and lawmaker who played a significant role in his nation's early, post-independence history.


Biography


Early life and the priesthood

Funes' parents were Juan José Funes y Ludueña, and María Josefa Bustos de Lara. The Funes family had arrived to Córdoba with the first group of settler led by
Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera (Sevilla, Spain, 1528 – Lima, 17 August 1574) was a Spanish conquistador, early colonial governor over much of what today is northwestern Argentina, and founder of the city of Córdoba. Life and times Cabrera was bo ...
, and the Bustos family was part of a group of Spanish colonists that left Chile and moved to Mendoza and Córdoba. Born in Córdoba, in what was then the Governorate of the Río de la Plata (a part of the Spanish Empire), Gregorio Funes was raised in privileged circumstances, and enrolled at the College of Monserrat. He studied in cloistered conditions, and shared his formative years with Juan José Castelli or
Juan José Paso Juan José Esteban Paso, (January 2, 1758, Buenos Aires – September 10, 1833) was an Argentine politician who participated in the events that started the Argentine War of Independence known as May Revolution of 1810. Biography Early lif ...
. Funes was ordained into the priesthood in 1773, and was named head seminarian; he graduated the following year, on August 10. A later dispute with the rector of the University of Córdoba led to Funes' transfer to a minor, Punilla Valley parish. Funes ultimately transferred, without permission from the diocese, to the University of Alcalá de Henares (Spain), in 1779. He returned to South America in 1793, where he was named canon of the Cathedral of
Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
, and in 1804 was promoted to dean of the cathedral. Funes was appointed
rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the University of Córdoba in 1807, and quickly implemented a package of reforms and modernization. Established the Departments of
Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
Experimental Physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and ...
,
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studies,
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, and Trigonometry, as well as donating a part of his family estate for curricular expansion. His administration replaced much of the university's Franciscan faculty for clergy from the local Diocese. Despite his disapproval of the work of René Descartes,
John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
, and Gottfried Leibniz, for instance, Funes' reforms were sufficiently ambitious to run afoul of the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Rafael de Sobremonte. The invasion of Spain by the Emperor
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in 1808, and the capture of King Ferdinand VII led Funes to join Manuel Belgrano and Juan José Castelli as an adherent to Carlotism,a movement in support of crowning Princess Carlota Joaquina of Spain as Queen, which sought to both advance a legitimate monarch, as well as to further the possibility of Independence.


The May Revolution

Funes was the first Córdoba official to support the May Revolution of 1810, and contributed significantly to its success by informing the Argentine government, the Primera Junta, of an alliance between Governor Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha and former Viceroy Santiago de Liniers, who was organizing a counter-revolution. This report prompted a campaign against the latter by the Army of the North, which captured Liniers and the governor, and which established patriot control over Córdoba. Funes himself urged the army to return the captured leaders alive, though these were ultimately executed en route to Buenos Aires. He was elected as a representative to the Junta Grande upon its replacement of the Primer Junta regime on December 18, 1810. The inclusion of representatives from the hinterland to the government was not unanimously supported, however, and Funes attempted to placate tensions by proposing a system of provincial juntas. The decree, enacted on February 11, 1811, also provided for the establishment of local juntas, and became the first form of
federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
in Argentina, as well as the guarantor of continued political unity during the
Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...
. Funes supported Junta President Cornelio Saavedra, who shared by
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outlook, and was appointed to the Junta following a failed, April 5 uprising by forces partial to Buenos Aires, and opposed to a Junta they viewed as unacceptably dominated by provincial figures. Funes directed the '' Gazeta de Buenos Ayres'', the official Junta newsletter, and ''El Argos de Buenos Aires'', the leading business publication, during his tenure, and enacted laws bolstering
freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...
despite the ongoing conflict with opponents. He also pressed for direct Junta control the granting of
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
s, deeming this the most important of the body's jurisdictions. Saavedra's absence led to a crisis on September 8, when the former was unseated. Funes was appointed to replace Saavedra as head of the Junta, which was stripped of executive authority and placed under the aegis of a Triumvirate. He attempted to compromise by enacting a Decree of Organic Regulation to more clearly define separation of powers and other considerations. This decree, the first
legal code A code of law, also called a law code or legal code, is a systematic collection of statutes. It is a type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or a particular area of law as it existed at the time the cod ...
in the fledgling nation's history, was nullified by the Triumvirate's First Secretary, Bernardino Rivadavia, however, who refused to offer or accept concessions to the now powerless Junta. The Triumvirate's own frictions with the Regiment of Patricians, which they believed too autonomous for a military force of such scale, provided Funes with an opportunity to unseat the new regime when, on December 6, the Patricians rebelled against the regime in what became known as the Mutiny of the Braids. A counterinsurgency attack by Colonel José Rondeau quelled the revolt by December 11, however, and Funes was formally charged with
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
. The Junta was formally replaced by the Triumvirate on December 22, and Funes' sentence was commuted the following January.


Elder statesman

Funes returned to Córdoba, where he authored one of the nation's first history texts, ''Ensayo de Historia Civil del Paraguay, Buenos Aires y Tucumán'' (''Essay on the Civil History of Paraguay, Buenos Aires, and Tucumán''). Writing became an occupation for the aging clergyman, and he refused the honor of representing his province at the 1816 Congress of Tucumán. The congress provoked a revolt late in the year by League of the Free Peoples supporter José Gervasio Artigas, and Funes accepted an appointment by Supreme Director Juan Martín de Pueyrredón as Governor of Córdoba. He later also accepted a post in replacement of one of two Córdoba representatives who resigned upon the relocation of the Congress of Tucumán to Buenos Aires in 1817. Funes afterwards directed the congressional journal, ''El Redactor''. He remained a monarchist, however, and advanced the notion of a constitutional monarchy during a constitutional assembly held in 1819. Unable to prevail in this proposal, Funes nonetheless supported the new constitution, with which he shared a reliance on centralized government. He wrote its preamble, as well as the proclamation presented in its support to provincial leaders. The 1819 Constitution, mainly due to its Unitarian bias, was rejected by most provinces in the hinterland, and those in the east formed a Liga Federal in revolt. Unitarian forces were defeated at the Battle of Cepeda of 1820, and Funes served as the national government's envoy to negotiate the February 23
Treaty of Pilar The Treaty of Pilar (in Spanish, ''Tratado del Pilar'') was a pact signed among the rulers of the Argentine provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, which is recognized as the foundation of the federal organization of the country. I ...
, upon which the constitution was rescinded. Funes remained in Buenos Aires, and was appointed
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to Gran Colombia by Governor
Martín Rodríguez Martin Rodriguez may refer to: *Martín Rodríguez (politician), Argentine politician *Martín Rodríguez (tennis), Argentine tennis player *Martin Rodrigues, drummer of the 1970s band Captain Beyond *Martín Rodríguez (field hockey) (born 1990), ...
. He became acquainted with President
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...
during his stay in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
, and attempted in vain to persuade Governor Rodríguez to take part in the Congress of Panama, which President Bolívar had initially convened for December 1824, and which was, itself, postponed until 1826. Funes returned to assist in Governor Rodríguez's bid for national unity, the General Congress of 1824; the congress ultimately resulted in the Constitution of 1826, and the first (albeit temporary) centralized government in Argentina. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1825. Funes retired in Buenos Aires. One of his friends, Santiago Spencer Wilde, invited the cleric for a tour of his recently inaugurated Parque Argentino, the first public garden in Buenos Aires; as they walked in the hot southern hemisphere summer, Dean Gregorio Funes collapsed, and died at age 79.Wilde, José Antonio. ''Buenos Aires desde 70 años atrás. Vol. 2''. Eudeba, 1961. Funes was interred at the La Recoleta Cemetery, though his remains were later transferred to the
Córdoba Cathedral Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, 2nd largest city in the country and capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cordoba may a ...
. A town in the vicinity of his parish during the 18th century was named in honor (
Deán Funes Gregorio Funes (May 25, 1749 – January 10, 1829), also known as ''Deán Funes'', was an Argentine clergyman, educator, historian, journalist and lawmaker who played a significant role in his nation's early, post-independence history. Biography ...
) upon its establishment in 1875.


Bibliography

* Bischoff, Efraín. ''Historia de Córdoba''. Buenos Aires: Plus Ultra, 1989. * Carbia, Rómulo. ''La Revolución de Mayo y la Iglesia''. Buenos Aires: Nueva Hispanidad, 2005. * Calvo, Nancy, Di Stéfano, Roberto, and Gallo, Klaus. ''Los curas de la Revolución''. Buenos Aires: Emecé, 2002. *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Funes, Gregorio 1749 births 1829 deaths People from Córdoba, Argentina Argentine people of Spanish descent University of Alcalá alumni 18th-century Argentine Roman Catholic priests National University of Córdoba faculty 19th-century Argentine historians Argentine male writers Governors of Córdoba Province, Argentina Argentine journalists Male journalists Argentine diplomats Members of the American Antiquarian Society Male non-fiction writers 19th-century Argentine Roman Catholic priests