Martín Rodríguez

Martín Rodríguez (4 July 1771 – 5 March 1845) was an Argentine politician and soldier.

Biography Born in Buenos Aires to Rufina and Fermín Rodríguez, he inherited a ranch and managed the estate until 1806. He then took part in the resistance to the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, during the Napoleonic Wars and later played an important role in the events of the May Revolution of 1810. Upon the establishment of the First Junta which resulted, he was sent to the province of Entre Ríos to support the activities of Manuel Belgrano in the Paraguay campaign. He married Manuela Carrasco in 1810, and they had 14 children.

He was succeeded in his post in 1824 by Juan Gregorio de las Heras, and returned to military duty. Rodríguez took part in the suppression of indigenous raids, and headed the Observation Army during the Cisplatine War, from 1825 to 1827. Rodríguez returned to Buenos Aires, and later became an opponent of Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas, joining Unitarian League leader José María Paz in an 1841-42 rebellion against the Federalist regime. The uprising failed, however, and Rodríguez was exiled to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he died in 1845.

He was interred in La Recoleta Cemetery. The city of General Rodríguez, west of Buenos Aires, was named in his honor upon its establishment in 1878.