Goméz, José Valentín (1774–1833)
Goméz, José Valentín (1774–1833)
José Valentín Gómez (b. 8 November 1774; d. 20 September 1833), Argentine educator and diplomat. Born in Buenos Aires and educated as a cleric at the University of Córdoba, Goméz became an ardent supporter of the revolution and subsequently a diplomat of the new government. In 1813 he was elected to the National Assembly and thereafter was sent on several diplomatic missions. One of his most interesting illustrates the monarchist tendencies of the government he represented. Under Juan Martín de Pueyrredón in 1819 he went on a secret mission to France in order to persuade the French minister of foreign affairs, the Baron Dessolle, to establish a monarchy in La Plata under a European dynastic family. The duke of Lucca was the favored candidate, but Dessolle changed his mind and the scheme was abandoned. Gómez became the rector of the University of Buenos Aires in 1823 and was responsible for introducing the Lancastrian system of education and attempting other educational reforms. He died in Buenos Aires.
See alsoEducation: Overview; Pueyrredón, Juan Martin de.
Nicholas P. Cushner