Cayetano José Rodríguez (1761 – 21 January 1823) was an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
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, ...
of 9 July 1816 which
declared the Independence of Argentina.
Rodríguez was born in
San Pedro,
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
and was educated at a
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
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 bor ...
. 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
A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...
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, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
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