Germán Edelmiro Mayer (28 May 1834 – 4 January 1897) was an Argentine soldier, writer and statesman who fought in the

Argentine Civil Wars The Argentine Civil Wars were a series of civil conflicts of varying intensity that took place in the territories of Argentina from 1814 to 1853. Beginning concurrently with the Argentine War of Independence (1810–1818), the conflict prevente ...

, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and against the French intervention in Mexico. Mayer was the third governor of the national territory of Santa Cruz, being in office from 1893 until his death in 1897.

Early life

Mayer was born in Buenos Aires in 1834, the son of a Hungarian typographer and a Spanish mother. At the age of 18, he settled along with his family in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

City, where he lived until 1858. Back to Argentina, he joined the

State of Buenos Aires The State of Buenos Aires () was a secessionist republic resulting from the overthrow of the Argentine Confederation government in the Province of Buenos Aires on 11 September 1852. The State of Buenos Aires was never explicitly recognized b ...

army and took part in the battles of Cepeda and Pavon against 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 nam ...

, where he reached the rank of captain and later of mayor.La increíble historia de Edelmiro Mayer

by Sergio Torres After a dispute between his superiors, General Wenceslao Paunero and Bartolome Mitre, regarding promotions, Mayer resigned to the army and in late 1861 he returned to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where his uncle owned a store.

American Civil War

Hired by his uncle, he soon left business life for

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, where he was appointed a military instructor. There, he became a friend of

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to survive past the teenage years ...

, son of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. Mayer left the military academy to work in Lincoln Sr's law office. During the early stages of the civil war, Mayer took sides with

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...

, and wrote several articles in

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

, stressing the role of African slaves' descendants in the South American Independence wars. He helped to establish a number of colored regiments. He joined the Union Army in July 1863 as a captain. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, he fought with distinction in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, Olustee and the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

, commanding the 45th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment.Brebbia (2006), p. 251 At the time of

Lincoln's assassination On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play '' Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, L ...

, Mayer and his men were at a party along with his friend Robert Lincoln. Mayer attended Abraham Lincoln's funeral, comforting his friend and family.

French intervention in Mexico

From the United States, Mayer moved to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, where he became a general in

Benito Juarez Benito may refer to: Places * Benito, Kentucky, United States * Benito, Manitoba, Canada * Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea Other uses * Benito (name) ** Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1 ...

's army. Regarded as a "

gringo ''Gringo'' (, , ) (masculine) or ''gringa'' (feminine) is a term in Spanish and Portuguese for a foreigner. In Spanish, the term usually refers to English-speaking Anglo-Americans. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country ...

" by some of his subordinates, he killed his second in command in the course of a pistol duel. After he saved the life of French-appointed General Leonardo Márquez in the aftermath of the siege of Querétaro, in 1867, Mayer was set for execution by firing squad for treason. His own life was spared by the intervention of former President

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the '' Generation of 1837'', who had a great influence on 19th-century Argent ...

, then Argentina's ambassador to the United States.

Return to Argentina

Mayer went back to Argentina in 1873, after a long trip across the United States (where he met

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n patriot

Jose Marti Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Hala ...

), Mexico, and Britain. His rank of general was recognized by Carlos Tejedor, governor of

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 in 1875 he commanded the rebel artillery during an uprising against the federal government, led by President Nicolas Avellaneda. Following the suppression of the revolt, Mayer was forced to resign to the army. He then became a successful writer, publishing works about his military experiences, translations of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

and even a musical dictionary in 1888, where one of the first definitions of

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

as a music genre is found.

Governor of Santa Cruz

Undeterred by a number of ill-fated investments in shore facilities and railways, Mayer eventually purchased a ranch in Santa Cruz, then a federal territory in

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

region. His influence and experience led President

Carlos Pellegrini Carlos Enrique José Pellegrini Bevans (October 11, 1846 – July 17, 1906) was Vice President of Argentina and became President of Argentina from August 6, 1890 to October 12, 1892, upon Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman's resignation (see R ...

to appoint him as governor in 1893, after the resignation of Ramon Lista. Mayer played a key role in populating Santa Cruz. His policy was to expand settlements to the west, close to the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

, in order to avoid the overpopulation of the coast. He promoted activities such as

animal fat Animal fats are lipids derived from animals which are used by the animal for a multitude of functions, or can be used by humans for dietary, sanitary, and cosmetic purposes. Depending on the temperature of the fat, it can change between a solid s ...

s industry,

ship management Ship management is the activity of managing marine vessels. The vessels under management could be owned by a sister concern of the ship management company or by independent vessel owners. A vessel owning company that generally has several vessel ...

and the manufacture of bricks. During his time in office, several scientific expeditions were carried out through the territory led by Carlos Burmeister, Otto Nordenskjold, Clemente Onelli and

Carlos Ameghino Carlos Ciriaco Ameghino (16 June 1865 – 12 April 1936) was an Argentine paleontologist and explorer who accompanied his brother Florentino Ameghino throughout Argentina searching for fossils. Scientific career Carlos Ameghino was educated ...

. Mayer died suddenly while working at his office in Rio Gallegos on 4 January 1897.

Early life

American Civil War

French intervention in Mexico

Return to Argentina

Governor of Santa Cruz

References

Further reading