Francisco Lecocq was a Uruguayan

Uruguayan people

Uruguayan people or Uruguayans are the citizens of Uruguay, or its descendants abroad. Uruguay is a multiethnic society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnical backgrounds...

 entrepreneur and politician.

Biography

Educated in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, he acquired there a notable capacity for business. During his stay at the park near the Santa Lucía River

Santa Lucía River

-Course:The headwaters of the Santa Lucía River are in the Lavalleja department. For a large part of its course it forms the limit between the departments of Florida and San José on one bank and Canelones and Montevideo on the other...

, which today is named after him, he experimented with wine production and forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

. He imported special plants and animals; he also investigated the silkworms, which was to become the first integral essay after that of Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga.

Along with Federico Nin Reyes and Charles Tellier

Charles Tellier

Charles Tellier was a French engineer, born in Amiens. He early made a study of motors and compressed air. In 1868 he began experiments in refrigeration, which resulted ultimately in the refrigerating plant as used on ocean vessels, to preserve meats and other perishable food...

, they are credited as being the inventors of the mechanism of the refrigerating plant as used on ocean vessels, to preserve meats and other perishable food. Lecocq was in charge of testing the first steps. He carried out this experiment on board of The City of Rio de Janeiro, in 1868.

Political career

Back in 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...

, he played a key role during the Uruguayan Civil War

Uruguayan Civil War

The Uruguayan Civil War, also known as "Guerra Grande", was a series of armed conflicts that took place between the Colorado Party and the National Party in Uruguay from 1839 to 1851...

. He was appointed Mayor 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...

 from 1855 to 1856 by president Manuel Oribe

Manuel Oribe

Manuel Ceferino Oribe y Viana was the fourth president of Uruguay.-Biography:Manuel Oribe was the son of Captain Francisco Oribe and María Francisca Viana, a descendant of the first governor of Montevideo, José Joaquín de Viana...

. He was later appointed Head of the Treasury Department by Gabriel Antonio Pereira

Gabriel Antonio Pereira

Gabriel Antonio José Pereira Villagrán was a Uruguayan politician, son of Antonio Pereira, of Portuguese ancestry, and wife María de la Asunción Villagrán y Artigas. He was president in 1838 and between March 1, 1856 and March 1, 1860....

. He also held a prominent place in the government after the Revolution of Las Lanzas in 1870.

In 1879 he became senator in representation of the San José Department

San José Department

San José Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 103,104 people and 33,063 households in the department. The average household size was 3.0...

, and he was also vice president and president of the Uruguayan Senate

Senate of Uruguay

The Chamber of Senators is the upper house of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Chamber has 30 members elected for a five year term by proportional representation; the vice-president of Uruguay presides over the chamber's sessions...

 in 1880.

Lecocq was also a member of the freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 and his father was Bernardo Lecocq (1734-1820), a Spanish brigadier who was appointed to the colonies in southern South America. His grandfather, Pedro Lecocq, was Flemish

Flemish people

The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...

 and his grandmother, Maria Osney, an immigrated Irishwoman.