Domingo Cullen
Encyclopedia
Domingo Cullen was the governor of province
of Santa Fe
, Argentina
during 1838.
Cullen was born in Tenerife
, Canary Islands
, but moved to Argentina in the 1820s after establishing commercial activities (linked with fluvial trade) in the area. He met Santa Fe's caudillo
Estanislao López
when serving as a deputy of the Cabildo of Montevideo
. After being involved in activism related to the independence of Uruguay
and the resistance against Brazil
(see Argentina-Brazil War
), he returned to Santa Fe, settled in a ranch
, and married Joaquina Rodríguez del Fresno, the young widow of Pedro Aldao and sister-in-law of López. In 1828 he became a counselor of López, and his Minister of Government in 1833.
At the time of López's death on 15 June 1838, Cullen was in Buenos Aires
as representative of Santa Fe, trying to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing French blockade of the port (caused by a law of 1821 that obligated resident foreign citizens of the province of Buenos Aires to serve in conscription
).
Cullen argued that the blockade was the result of a provincial law and therefore the other provinces were not bound to help Buenos Aires. Juan Manuel de Rosas
, the powerful governor of Buenos Aires, contended that this violated the Federal Pact.
When Cullen returned to Santa Fe, he became governor, but his election was not acknowledged by Rosas and by Pascual Echagüe
, governor of the neighbouring Entre Ríos Province
. Without López's support, he faced opposition from his personal enemies in the province and from those loyals to Rosas. In the end, all provinces including Santa Fe ended up supporting Buenos Aires against the French, and Cullen was forced to resign and go to exile
.
Accused of conspiring with the Unitarians (enemies of Rosas) and the French, he sought asylum in Santiago del Estero
, but he was betrayed by his host and delivered to Rosas's men, to be tried in Buenos Aires. However, right after crossing the Arroyo del Medio
and entering the territory of Buenos Aires Province, his captors announced they had orders to kill him. Cullen was assisted by a priest in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
and wrote a letter to his wife; he was then killed by a firing squad, on 21 June 1839. He was buried in the spot.
In 1840 the army of General Juan Lavalle
passed by the place on its way to Santa Fe, and Cullen's body was exhumed at the request of Pedro Rodríguez del Fresno, an officer of Lavalle's and Cullen's brother-in-law. He was taken to the Convent of Saint Dominic in Santa Fe, where they remain today, next to the bodies of his son Patricio and several other important leaders.
origin, descended from Thomas Cullen Maher, who emigrated from Kilkenny
to the Canary Islands
in 1793. Domingo Cullen (full name: Domingo Alejandro Lorenzo Cullen y Ferraz), born in Tenerife
, was Cullen Maher's third grandson, the son of Guillermo Felipe Cullen and Ángela Isidra Ferraz de la Guardia.
Cullen emigrated to the Río de la Plata
region, first settling in Montevideo
, Uruguay
, in 1811, and moving then to Santa Fe in 1823. This Argentine branch of the family has given Santa Fe many influential characters in the field of politics.
Cullen had seven children. José María Cullen, his firstborn, and Patricio Cullen
, his second son, both served as governors of Santa Fe (Tomás Cullen, his last son, was also ad interim governor). His third child, Joaquina, was the wife of Nicasio Oroño
, governor and political chief of Rosario
, and the fourth, Josefa, was married to Juan María Gutiérrez Granados, member of the Constitutional Assembly that crafted the Argentine Constitution of 1853
.
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Santa Fe
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
during 1838.
Cullen was born in Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, but moved to Argentina in the 1820s after establishing commercial activities (linked with fluvial trade) in the area. He met Santa Fe's caudillo
Caudillo
Caudillo is a Spanish word for "leader" and usually describes a political-military leader at the head of an authoritarian power. The term translates into English as leader or chief, or more pejoratively as warlord, dictator or strongman. Caudillo was the term used to refer to the charismatic...
Estanislao López
Estanislao López
Estanislao López was a governor and caudillo of the , between 1818 and 1838, a hero of provincial federalism and an ally of Juan Manuel de Rosas during the Argentine Civil War.-Biography:...
when serving as a deputy of the Cabildo of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
. After being involved in activism related to the independence of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and the resistance against Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(see Argentina-Brazil War
Argentina-Brazil War
The Cisplatine War or the Argentine–Brazilian War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental or "Eastern Shore" in the 1820s between the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.-Background:Led by...
), he returned to Santa Fe, settled in a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, and married Joaquina Rodríguez del Fresno, the young widow of Pedro Aldao and sister-in-law of López. In 1828 he became a counselor of López, and his Minister of Government in 1833.
At the time of López's death on 15 June 1838, Cullen was in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
as representative of Santa Fe, trying to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing French blockade of the port (caused by a law of 1821 that obligated resident foreign citizens of the province of Buenos Aires to serve in conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
).
Cullen argued that the blockade was the result of a provincial law and therefore the other provinces were not bound to help Buenos Aires. Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
, the powerful governor of Buenos Aires, contended that this violated the Federal Pact.
When Cullen returned to Santa Fe, he became governor, but his election was not acknowledged by Rosas and by Pascual Echagüe
Pascual Echagüe
Pascual Echagüe, was an Argentine soldier and politician. He served as Governor of Entre Ríos and Santa Fe provinces and Minister of War and Navy during the governments of Urquiza and Derqui...
, governor of the neighbouring Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
. Without López's support, he faced opposition from his personal enemies in the province and from those loyals to Rosas. In the end, all provinces including Santa Fe ended up supporting Buenos Aires against the French, and Cullen was forced to resign and go to exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
.
Accused of conspiring with the Unitarians (enemies of Rosas) and the French, he sought asylum in Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
, but he was betrayed by his host and delivered to Rosas's men, to be tried in Buenos Aires. However, right after crossing the Arroyo del Medio
Arroyo del Medio
The Arroyo del Medio is a small river of Argentina, located on the border between the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. Its catchment basin comprises about 3,200 km². The Arroyo empties into the Paraná River at the city of San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires, opposite the Constitución...
and entering the territory of Buenos Aires Province, his captors announced they had orders to kill him. Cullen was assisted by a priest in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, 61 km from Rosario. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido of the same name...
and wrote a letter to his wife; he was then killed by a firing squad, on 21 June 1839. He was buried in the spot.
In 1840 the army of General Juan Lavalle
Juan Lavalle
Juan Galo de Lavalle was an Argentine military and political figure.-Biography:Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José de La Vallée y Cortés, general accountant of rents and tobacco for the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.In 1799, the family moved to...
passed by the place on its way to Santa Fe, and Cullen's body was exhumed at the request of Pedro Rodríguez del Fresno, an officer of Lavalle's and Cullen's brother-in-law. He was taken to the Convent of Saint Dominic in Santa Fe, where they remain today, next to the bodies of his son Patricio and several other important leaders.
Descent
Cullen's family was of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
origin, descended from Thomas Cullen Maher, who emigrated from Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
to the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
in 1793. Domingo Cullen (full name: Domingo Alejandro Lorenzo Cullen y Ferraz), born in Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, was Cullen Maher's third grandson, the son of Guillermo Felipe Cullen and Ángela Isidra Ferraz de la Guardia.
Cullen emigrated to the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
region, first settling in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, in 1811, and moving then to Santa Fe in 1823. This Argentine branch of the family has given Santa Fe many influential characters in the field of politics.
Cullen had seven children. José María Cullen, his firstborn, and Patricio Cullen
Patricio Cullen
Patricio Cullen was the governor of province of Santa Fe, Argentina between 1862 and 1865. He was the second son of Domingo Cullen and Joaquina Rodríguez del Fresno.Cullen was born in the provincial capital Santa Fe...
, his second son, both served as governors of Santa Fe (Tomás Cullen, his last son, was also ad interim governor). His third child, Joaquina, was the wife of Nicasio Oroño
Nicasio Oroño
Nicasio V. Oroño was an Argentine politician and lawyer, and governor of Santa Fe between 1865 and 1868.-Youth in the military:...
, governor and political chief of Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, and the fourth, Josefa, was married to Juan María Gutiérrez Granados, member of the Constitutional Assembly that crafted the Argentine Constitution of 1853
Argentine Constitution of 1853
The Argentine Constitution of 1853 was the first constitution of Argentina, approved with the support of the governments of the provinces —though without that of the Buenos Aires Province, who remained separated of the Argentine Confederation until 1859, after several modifications to the...
.