José Miguel Díaz Vélez

José Miguel Díaz Vélez (1770–1833) was an Argentine patriot and a leading figure in the struggle for Argentine independence. He served as a general and the Secretary General of Argentina's Unitarist regime. Vélez also participated in the civil wars that transpired thereafter. The Argentine General Manuel Díaz Vélez was his brother.

Biography Vélez was born in Tucumán in 1770 to Francisco Díaz Vélez, a Spanish merchant and María Petrona Aráoz, who belong to one of the prominent families in Tucumán. Vélez was the second of their children. He was educated at Colegio Real de San Carlos and later obtained a law degree in Chuquisaca.

Vélez became a deputy for Tucuman in the General Constituent Congress from 1819 to 1820.

Vélez died in 1833 in Paysandú, Uruguay. In September 1812, he was identified as the commander of the troops being pursued by the 600-strong royalist cavalry, which was defeated through the assistance of General Manuel Belgrano. In the same month, Vélez won a victory and captured Tucumán. The city was captured but it was later abandoned due to Federalist resistance. This alliance was primarily aimed at pressuring Dom Pedro I to withdraw his army stationed in the Eastern Province and give up territorial claims in South America. The mission was considered a failure after Bolivar remained ambivalent towards the proposal. On 3 December 1828, he became the Minister of Foreign Relations, a position he held until 4 May 1829. When Lavalle's government collapsed, Vélez left Argentina and settled in Uruguay.