Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield
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| Born | February 18, 1800 Amboy, Córdoba Province
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| Died | June 30, 1875 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Alma mater | National University of Córdoba |
| Relatives | Aurelia Vélez Sársfield (daughter) |
Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield (born February 18, 1800 – died June 30, 1875) was an important Argentine lawyer and politician. He is most famous for writing the Civil Code of Argentina in 1869. This important set of laws guided Argentina for many years, until 2015.
Contents
Life Story of Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield
Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield was born in Amboy, a small town in the Córdoba Province. His family had Irish ancestors. He was a very bright student. He studied at the National University of Córdoba. He was especially good at mathematics and languages. He could speak English, French, Italian, and Latin very well. He became a lawyer in 1822.
Early Career and Politics
After finishing his studies, Dalmacio married Paula Piñero. He quickly became involved in politics. He was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, which is like a country's parliament. In 1825, he became the Speaker of the House. He was the youngest person to hold this important job. He supported President Bernardino Rivadavia and his idea of a strong central government. In 1826, he also became a professor of Economics at the University of Buenos Aires.
Vélez Sarsfield worked for the Governor of Buenos Aires Province, Juan Manuel de Rosas. He helped with legal issues involving the Catholic Church. He also worked with the Governor of Santa Fe Province, Estanislao López. In 1835, he was named President of the Academy of Jurisprudence.
Exile and Return
Later, his relationship with Governor Rosas became difficult. Because of this, Vélez Sarsfield had to leave Argentina in 1842. He went to Montevideo, Uruguay. While in exile, he became friends with Unitarian leaders like Domingo Sarmiento. These leaders were strong opponents of Rosas. He even worked with Sarmiento in Europe before returning home. When he came back, he found his house damaged. But Governor Rosas, despite their past disagreements, made sure his property was returned to him.
Working for a United Argentina
After Rosas was removed from power, Vélez Sarsfield joined General Bartolomé Mitre. Mitre was a strong supporter of Buenos Aires. Vélez Sarsfield helped Mitre oppose the San Nicolás Agreement in 1852. This agreement was rejected by Buenos Aires. When Buenos Aires separated from Argentina, Vélez Sarsfield helped write its new Constitution in 1854.
After Buenos Aires lost the Battle of Cepeda in 1859, it rejoined Argentina. Vélez Sarsfield then helped create important changes to the Argentine Constitution. These changes helped unite the country.
Creating Important Laws
When Mitre became president in 1862, Vélez Sarsfield became the nation's Finance Minister. In 1863, he helped pass the Commercial Code into law. He had created this code earlier for Buenos Aires. In 1864, he started working on his most famous project: the Argentine Civil Code. This was a huge task to create a complete set of laws for the country.
He also helped improve farming in Argentina. He funded the country's first institute for agronomy, which is the science of soil management and crop production. In 1868, President Domingo Sarmiento appointed Vélez Sarsfield as the Internal Affairs Minister. He encouraged immigration by combining different groups that helped new arrivals.
On September 25, 1869, the Congress approved his Civil Code. This document, with some changes over time, became law on January 1, 1871.
Later Years and Legacy
After his great work on the Civil Code, Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield retired. He started a newspaper called El Nacional. However, another big newspaper, La Nación, was also launched around the same time. So, El Nacional eventually closed.
Dr. Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield passed away in Buenos Aires in 1875. He was 74 years old. He was buried at La Recoleta Cemetery.
Today, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, called Velez Sarsfield, is named after him. Also, the famous Vélez Sarsfield sports club is indirectly named after him. The club got its name from a railway station that was named in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield para niños
- Law of Argentina
- Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield
- Vélez Sársfield (barrio)
