Pedro de Medrano y Cabrera (26 April 1769 – 3 November 1840) was a

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an-born

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 ...

statesman, poet and lawyer from the House of

Medrano Medrano is a Spanish surname of Basque language, Basque origin that means "abundance, to grow, to prosper, or to improve." It is a surname of high nobility established in the old Kingdoms of Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre, Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon, k ...

. He was a provisional president and 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, ...

which on 9 July 1816 declared the Independence of Argentina.

Early life

Pedro de Medrano y Cabrera was born on April 26, 1769, on Gorriti Island in San Fernando de Maldonado, Uruguay. His birth occurred while his father, Pedro de Medrano y de la Plaza, was temporarily stationed there by Governor

Francisco de Paula Bucareli Francisco de Paula Bucareli y Ursúa (sometimes Bucarelli) (Seville, 18 September 1708 - Pamplona, April 1780) was a Spanish noble, Governor of the Rio de la Plata (1766–1770) and Viceroy of Navarre (1773-1780). Biography Youth He was ...

. His father was a

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

official in

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 ...

Education

Pedro returned to Buenos Aires to begin his early education and later continued his studies at the ''Colegio de Monserrat'' in Córdoba, which he entered in 1781. He pursued higher learning at the University of Charcas, becoming known as a brilliant

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...

. He graduated on May 2, 1789, with degrees in

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

and Civil Law.

Career

In 1810 he was appointed an ''

oidor An () was a judge of the Royal ''Audiencias'' and ''Chancillerías'', originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire. The term comes , referring to the judge's obligation to listen ...

'' of the ''Real'' ''Audiencia'' of

. That same year he participated in the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

at the ''Cabildo Abierto''.

May revolution, auditor of the War Council

During the May Revolution of 1810, Medrano was an active supporter of the

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

cause. On June 15, 1810, he was appointed as the

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

of the War Council.

Judge of the ''Audiencia and'' deputy for Buenos Aires

Shortly after, on June 23, he became a judge of the Audiencia, and on June 27, he was named a judge of assets and deceased estates. He was also nominated for the position of prosecutor of the Audiencia of Charcas but declined. Medrano's political career advanced when he was elected deputy for Buenos Aires to the Assembly of the Year XIII on October 3, 1812.

Attempted restoration of the Spanish Monarchy

In 1814, he was part of a diplomatic mission led by Manuel Belgrano to Spain for the restoration of King

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

. In April 1815, he joined the Junta de Observación, contributing to the drafting of the Provisional Statute.

Deputy and President of the Congress in Tucumán

On August 22, 1815, Medrano was elected as a national deputy for the National Congress in Tucumán. He was one of the authors of the 1815 provisional statute of Argentina. He was elected by Buenos Aires to the Tucumán Congress in 1816 for the declaration, serving as the first president of the Congress and giving the inaugural speech. He served as the provisional president from March 24 to May 2, 1816, delivered the inaugural address, and administered the oath to other congressmen. He was recognized for his oratory skills and involvement in various committees. His term as a deputy ended when the Congress moved to Buenos Aires in 1817. In 1819, Medrano was proclaimed elected

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

under the new Constitution, but political turmoil prevented him from taking office.

Representative of the provincial legislature, secretary of the provincial ''Junta'' of representatives

By 1821, he was elected as a representative to the provincial legislature, serving as secretary and later re-elected as deputy in several terms until his death. Medrano was secretary of the provincial ''junta'' of representatives in 1821 and a deputy on two occasions.

''Fiscal'' and president of the Chamber of Appeals

He served as ''fiscal'' (state attorney) from 1838 and president of the Chamber of Appeals. He was a friend and ally of

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio (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 Confedera ...

Consultative Senate

In 1829, he was appointed to the consultative Senate by General Viamonte but resigned due to disagreements over the institution's political direction.

Chamber judge and president of the Appeals Court

In 1831, Medrano was named a chamber judge and later became the president of the Appeals Court on June 28 of the same year.

Board of theologians and state prosecutor

In 1833, he joined a board of theologians, canons, and jurists created by the government for ecclesiastical advice. He was appointed state

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...

in 1838.

Death and legacy

Pedro de Medrano passed away on November 3, 1840. His funeral took place on November 25 at the Cathedral, led by his brother, Bishop Mariano de Medrano. In recognition of his friendship, Rosas decreed the construction of a monument in his honor at the Cementerio del Norte. Unfortunately, due to a lack of resources, the monument was never constructed.

Family

Paternal ancestry

Pedro de Medrano was the son of Don Pedro de Medrano de la Plaza, born in Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain. His father married Victoriana Ana de Cabrera Saabedra on June 29, 1764, in Buenos Aires, part of the Gobernación del Río de la Plata within the Spanish Empire. Victoriana Ana de Cabrera Saabedra was baptized on January 15, 1744, in Buenos Aires. His father was born in 1728 in the Parroquia Santa María de la Asunción, Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain. His father died on 20 February 1795 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His mother was born in 1723, in Navarrete, La Rioja. His paternal grandfather Pedro de Medrano y Corral, born in 1709 in Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain, was the husband of María de la Plaza Otárola, born in March 1704, also in Navarrete.

Maternal ancestry

His maternal grandparents were Lucas de la Plata (born in Otálora de la Plaza in October 1667, Navarrete, La Rioja,) and Doña Ana de Marcos Mayoral Ruiz de Villalba, born in March 1670, in Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain.

Buenos Aires branch

The

branch of the Medrano family resided in Villa de Navarrete, La Rioja, from ancient times. This family has extensive ancestry and descendants in the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

region,

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Notable descendants are Pedro de Medrano and his son Martin de Medrano y Arandia from the late 16th century; followed by his son Pedro de Medrano y Nestares, and his son Pedro de Medrano y Fernández Majarres. His son Pedro de Medrano y Gómez del Valle from the 17th century follows the line. Likewise, his son Pedro de Medrano y Corral follows, along with his son Pedro de Medrano y de la Plaza Otálora from the 18th century, who was the father of Pedro Jose de Medrano y Cabrera, Mariano José de Medrano y Cabrera (8 September 1767)

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Buenos Aires es">:es:Mariano_Medrano">es and Capitán Don Martín José de Medrano y Cabrera, who had numerous offspring.

Poet

Aside from his legal and political achievements, Medrano was also noted for his contributions to

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and oratory. His works include the political romance "''Carta de Celio a Armesto,''" which criticized unitarians and the December 1, 1828, revolution. He also authored "''La Martiniana''" and an introduction to "''Poema y la gloriosa Expedición a los Desiertos del Sud''" in 1833 and 1834, though the latter remained incomplete.

Ideology

Politically, he was a supporter of the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservativeMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government under Alexander Hamilton from 17 ...

and a personal friend of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medrano, Pedro Medrano, Pedro Medrano, Pedro Members of the Congress of Tucumán 19th-century Argentine lawyers People from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata People from Maldonado, Uruguay People of the Argentine War of Independence University of Charcas alumni