Luis Saenz Pena

Luis Sáenz Peña (Buenos Aires, April 2, 1822 - Buenos Aires, December 4, 1907) was a lawyer, judge and twelfth president of Argentina. He assumed his six-year term in 1892, but had to resign in 1895, accused of the lack of legitimacy of his government.

His son, Roque, would occupy the presidency between 1910 and 1914.

Biography

Son of Roque Julián Sáenz Peña and María Luisa Dávila. On November 18, 1848, he married Cipriana Lahitte (1829-1916), daughter of Eduardo Lahitte and María Cipriana Eusebia de la Victoria de Bonavía y Obes, in the Church of San Ignacio, in Buenos Aires. University of Buenos Aires, participated in the Constituent Assembly of 1860.

He was several times a national deputy and senator.

In 1882 he held a position in the Supreme Court of Justice of the Province of Buenos Aires.

Later, he held the presidency of the Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; the direction of the Academy of Jurisprudence and a member of the General Council of Education.

He was a member of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation between 1890 and 1892 after the resignation of Federico Ibarguren.

Presidency

Luis Sáenz Peña -a prominent Catholic leader-, was anointed as a transitional president, after an agreement between the Roquismo and the Mitrismo that prevented the electoral participation of the brand new U.C.R..

He began his tenure convinced that his mission was to end the Panic of 1890. He decided not to contract new debts, and personally renegotiated the existing ones in London: the financial situation forced the bankers to accept the conditions imposed by the Minister of Finance, Juan José Romero, who got some haircuts in the capital and a somewhat longer term. By mid-1893, the crisis could be considered over.

During his tenure, the Ministry of Public Works managed to expand the railway network, to the point that all the provincial capitals —except La Rioja— were linked by rails. The cities of Buenos Aires, Rosario and Santa Fe completed their ports, and the capital opened Avenida de Mayo, which for more than half a century would be the showcase of the great city.

In 1893, Congress approved the creation of the National Charity Lottery, now the National Lottery, which began operating in 1894.

In 1894, Law 1894 was enacted, ceding large portions of the Chaco National Territory to neighboring provinces, especially benefiting the Province of Santa Fe.

Revolution and resignation

Sáenz Peña and his family celebrate their 82nd birthday in 1904. (Photo: AGN)

In 1893, the political situation became increasingly unstable, given the obvious incapacity of the president; Sáenz Peña changed his entire cabinet of ministers several times, unsuccessfully seeking to avoid journalistic criticism. The situation spread to the interior provinces, where on several occasions the governments were overthrown, with which the instability increased. Sáenz Peña, increasingly disoriented, tried all possible alliances, and finally—because of the imminence of a radical revolution—appointed Aristóbulo del Valle Minister of War and Navy. This convinced him to disarm the National Guards, with the apparent purpose of avoiding new revolutions, but a few days later the radical revolution broke out.

With the provincial governments disarmed, the revolutionaries —led by Hipólito Yrigoyen— managed to overthrow several of them, including those of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. Del Valle's indecisions and the disagreements between Alem and his nephew Yrigoyen made the movement, when his troops were defeated by the national Army. But the UCR had been on the verge of triumph and had shown an unusual capacity for political organization. Shortly after, Del Valle died suddenly, and six months later Alem committed suicide; the UCR became fully controlled by Yrigoyen.

The following year, the UCR tried to participate in the elections; he obtained the triumph in the Province of Buenos Aires, although the alliance of rockists and mitristas led Guillermo Udaondo to the provincial government. Inside, the government was victorious everywhere, as the population rejected the violence and subversive activities of the radicals. Defeated at the polls, and with no prospect of winning in elections rigged by Roca and his circle, the Radicals locked themselves into absolute electoral abstention.

But Sáenz Peña no longer controlled even his ministers, who governed according to the indications of Roca and Pellegrini. In mid-January 1895, they all resigned en masse. Sáenz Peña presented his resignation on January 22, which was received with relief by public opinion.

Cabinet of Ministers

Ministries of the Government of Luis Sáenz Peña
Portfolio	Owner	Period
Ministry of the Interior	Manuel Quintana Tomás S. de Anchorena Wenceslao Escalante Miguel Cané Lucio Vicente López Manuel Quintana Eduardo Costa	12 October 1892 – 13 December 1892 13 December 1892 – 8 February 1893 8 February 1893 – 14 June 1893 14 June 1893 – 5 July 1893 5 July 1893 – 12 August 1893 12 August 1893 – 7 November 1894 7 November 1894 – 23 January 1895
Ministry of External Relations and Worship	Tomás S. de Anchorena Amancio Alcorta Miguel Cané Norberto Quirno Costa Valentine's Day Eduardo Costa	12 October 1892 – 1 May 1893 1 May 1893 – 7 June 1893 7 June 1893 – 27 June 1893 27 June 1893 – 5 July 1893 5 July 1893 – 16 December 1893 16 December 1893 – 23 January 1895
Ministry of War and Marina	Benjamin Victorica Joaquín Viejobueno Eudoro Balsa Aristobulus of the Valley Luis María Campos Eudoro Balsa	12 October 1892 – 7 June 1893 7 June 1893 – 27 June 1893 27 June 1893 - 5 July 1893 5 July 1893 – 12 August 1893 12 August 1893 – 7 November 1894 7 November 1894 - 23 January 1895
Ministry of Finance	Juan José Romero Marco Avellaneda Mariano Demaría José A. Terry	12 October 1892 – 7 June 1893 7 June 1893 – 5 July 1893 5 July 1893 – 12 August 1893 12 August 1893 – 23 January 1895
Ministry of Justice and Public Instruction	Calixto de La Torre Amancio Alcorta Francisco García Enrique S. Quintana Eduardo Costa José Vicente Zapata	12 October 1892 – 23 March 1893 24 March 1893 – 26 June 1893 27 June 1893 – 5 July 1893 5 July 1893 – 11 August 1893 12 August 1893 – 13 April 1894 14 April 1894 - 23 January 1895

Death

Funeral court of Dr. Sáenz Peña, in San Martín Square.

He died in Buenos Aires on December 4, 1907, at the age of 85. He is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery.