Marcos Paz (1813 – January 2, 1868) was Governor of Córdoba and

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

s, an Argentine Senator, and

Vice President of Argentina The vice president of Argentina ( es, Vicepresidente de Argentina), officially known as the vice president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Vicepresidente de la Nación Argentina), is the second highest political position in Argentina, and first in ...

from October 12, 1862, until his death in 1868.

Biography

Marcos Paz was born to a prominent Tucuman family in 1813. His father was

Juan Bautista Paz Juan Bautista Paz (1772–1844) was an Argentinian jurist and lawyer, a member of the National Congress of 1819 and the General Conference of 1824, and several times cabinet minister and deputy governor of Tucumán Province during the first ...

, a lawyer and legislator who served as deputy governor of the province several times, and his brother was General Gregorio Paz. He earned a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

in 1834. He married the former Micaela Cascallares, daughter of a wealthy landowner, and settled with her in

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 ...

. After the fall 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. Although ...

in 1852 he joined

Justo José de Urquiza Justo José de Urquiza y García (; October 18, 1801 – April 11, 1870) was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860. Life Justo José de Urquiza y García was bo ...

in his fight against

Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre Martínez (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of unified Argentina. Mitre is known as the most versatile s ...

's forces in Buenos Aires, and joined Col. Hilario Lagos as an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

; the siege was ultimately unsuccessful. Elected Governor of Tucumán in 1858, Paz took part in the San José de Flores Pact of 1859, which helped secure national unity, and was elected to the 1860 convention that produced the first amendments to the

Constitution of Argentina The Constitution of the Argentine Nation ( es, Constitución de la Nación Argentina) is the basic governing document of Argentina, and the primary source of existing law in Argentina. Its first version was written in 1853 by a constitutional ...

. He then assisted Gen. Wesceslao Paunero, who was sent as an envoy by Mitre to other provincial leaders, and served briefly in his stead as Governor of Córdoba, from December 1861 to March 1862. An erstwhile foe, Buenos Aires leader Bartolomé Mitre, befriended Paz during earlier negotiations, and nominated him as running mate for the 1862 elections. Mitre had obtained significant concessions for Buenos Aires following his victory at the

Battle of Pavón The Battle of Pavón, a key battle of the Argentine Civil Wars, was fought in Pavón, Santa Fé Province, Argentina on 17 September 1861 between the Army of the State of Buenos Aires, commanded by Bartolomé Mitre, and the Army of Republic of t ...

in 1861, and the choice of Paz, who as a supporter of the

Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...

would have otherwise be an opponent, was part of Mitre's bid to placate separatist sentiment outside

Buenos Aires Province 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 ...

. The duo won unanimously in the electoral college, and Paz became Vice-President of Argentina. When Mitre was away commanding the allied forces during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

, Paz fulfilled the role of acting president. He died in office on January 2, 1868, in Buenos Aires, as a victim of a

Cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

epidemic, and Mitre had to return to Argentina to resume his position as president.

Legacy

The Marcos Paz Partido, administrative division of

and its capital, the town of Marcos Paz are named after him.

External links

Official site
* 1813 births 1868 deaths People from Tucumán Province Governors of Tucumán Province Governors of Córdoba Province, Argentina Members of the Argentine Senate for Tucumán Vice presidents of Argentina Argentine military personnel Marcos Paz Partido Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery {{Argentina-mil-bio-stub