Parish, Woodbine (1796–1882)

Woodbine Parish (b. 14 September 1796; d. 16 August 1882), British diplomat. As Great Britain's consul to the government of the United Provinces of the Río De La Plata in Buenos Aires, Parish served as the embodiment of Foreign Secretary George Canning's policy toward the newly independent former Spanish colonies in the Americas.

Born to a prestigious commercial and political family, Parish served as an aide to Lord Castlereagh in Europe before arriving in Buenos Aires in 1824 as the first European representative to the young republic. During his nine years as consul, Parish was instrumental in convincing the British government to grant full recognition to the United Provinces, and he helped establish the close economic and cultural ties that were to become the hallmark of British-Argentine relations. In 1839 Parish published Buenos Aires and the Provinces of the Río de la Plata: Their Present State, Debt, and Trade, a thorough analysis of Argentina during its early years of independence.

Parish became popular with the Argentines, due to his bilingualism and obvious interest in their culture and traditions. Through the efforts of Parish and other like-minded diplomats, Great Britain was able to ensure an economic and political climate favorable to British interests.

See alsoArgentina: The Nineteenth Century; British in Argentina; United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

McLean, David. War, Diplomacy, and the Informal Empire: Britain and the Republics of La Plata, 1836–1853. London: British Academic Press, 1995.

Solari Yrigoyen, Hipólito. Malvinas: Lo que no cuentan los ingleses (1833–1982). Buenos Aires: El Ateneo, 1998.

                                           John Dudley