Godoy Cruz, Tomás (1791–1852)

Tomás Godoy Cruz (b. 6 March 1791; d. 15 May 1852), Argentine businessman, educator, and politician. Born in Mendoza to a patrician family, Godoy Cruz earned degrees in philosophy and law from the University of San Felipe, Chile, in 1810 and 1813. When Facundo Quiroga invaded Mendoza in 1831, José Videla Castillo, de facto governor of the province, and his allies, of whom Godoy Cruz was one, were exiled to Chile. In exile during the 1830s, Godoy Cruz published a Manual (1838) on textiles, taught extensively in related fields, and invested in Argentine commerce, mining, and textiles. Aware of Godoy Cruz's expertise, Governor José Félix Aldao asked him back from exile and in 1846 appointed him to direct governmental policies regarding textile industries in the province. His most notable contribution, however, was in politics. A contemporary viewed him as someone "accustomed to the admiration and even respect of San Martín and O'Higgins, having a great appreciation for his own person and the conviction of his opinions." Godoy Cruz, a close collaborator of San Martín and a supporter of Platine independence who donated his homestead to the cause early in the conflict, displayed this self-confidence in the Congress of Tucumán (1816–1819) and as governor of Mendoza (1820–1822), where he died.

See alsoArgentinas The Nineteenth Century .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pedro Isidro Caraffa, Hombres notables de Cuyo (1912).

Enrique Udaondo, Diccionario biográfico argentino (1938), pp. 459-460.

Benito Marianetti, Un mendocino en el Congreso de Tucumán (1966).

Additional Bibliography

García-Godoy, Christián. Tomás Godoy Cruz: Su tiempo, su vida, su drama; ensayo crítico. Washington: Full Life/Vida Plena; Impressions In Ink, 1991.

                                         Fidel Iglesias