Francisco Seeber
Encyclopedia
Francisco Seeber was an Argentine military officer, businessman and Mayor of Buenos Aires.
to Sophia Taut and Magnus Seeber, both German Argentine immigrants. He completed his studies in Hamburg
, Germany
, and returned in 1859. He joined the Argentine Army
, and fought in the Battle of Cepeda (1859)
and as a Captain in the War of the Triple Alliance
in 1865 and 1866. Upon his return, he joined the editorial board of La Libertad, and was elected to the Buenos Aires Province
Legislature. He married the former Fanny Agrelo in 1868, and they had nine children.
Seeber established a construction firm, the Catalinas Warehouses and Pier Company, Ltd., in 1872. The firm obtained a municipal contract for the construction of the Catalina Docks (located along what later became the Catalinas Norte
office park). Needing a large and steady supply of soil to level and grade the hitherto flood-prone site for the wharf, Seeber bought land in the then-desolate northwest end of the city with the intent of hauling soil to Catalinas for land reclamation
. Enlisting workers mostly from Entre Ríos Province
, these latter established a neighborhood (Villa Urquiza
) there in 1887.
Seeber was named President of the Buenos Aires Western Railway
in 1887. He commissioned the construction of the important rail link
between Córdoba
and Buenos Aires
. He also invested in the development of the city's first large-scale department store
, Bon Marché
, and was appointed Mayor of Buenos Aires
on May 10, 1889, by President Miguel Juárez Celman.
He continued his immediate predecessors' emphasis on public works
, having 400 blocks of city streets paved, installing sanitation services in the impoverished La Boca
district, establishing right-of-way ordinances for the city's growing traffic, and initiating the development of what later became Florida Street
(today Buenos Aires' best known pedestrianized street). He also approved plans for what, during the 1920s, became Diagonal Norte Avenue as part of larger (never realized) design for a series of diagonal avenues downtown. Another plan approved during his tenure ultimately became Nueve de Julio Avenue in the 1930s, and his administration also began or completed the creation or improvement of numerous city park
s and recreational and cultural sites, among them the Buenos Aires Zoo
and the National Historical Museum.
The Panic of 1890
, and the ensuing chaos, led to Seeber's resignation on June 4, and on June 22, he traveled to Germany
. He represented Argentina in the 1894 Universal Peace Congress in Antwerp, where he was an early advocate for free trade
. Seeber returned that year and took part in a commission to organize the nation's far-lung territories in Patagonia
and the far north. Following an 1897 stay in Europe for the purpose of studying the organization of the Quartermaster
Corps, he toured South America
for an appreciation of prevailing conditions, about which he wrote in his 1903 survey, Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Uruguay, Perú, Bolivia y Paraguay: estudios comparativos. Seeber, who also wrote numerous articles on his military studies in Europe, was named head of the Quartermaster's Advisory Board in Argentina.
Francisco Seeber retired in Buenos Aires, and died there in 1913 at age 72. He was interred in La Recoleta Cemetery
.
Life and times
Francisco Seeber was born in Buenos AiresBuenos 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...
to Sophia Taut and Magnus Seeber, both German Argentine immigrants. He completed his studies in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and returned in 1859. He joined the Argentine Army
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
, and fought in the Battle of Cepeda (1859)
Battle of Cepeda (1859)
The Battle of Cepeda of 1859 took place on October 23 at Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina. The Republic of the Argentine Confederation army, led by Federal Justo José de Urquiza defeated the Province of Buenos Aires forces, led by Unitarian Bartolomé Mitre.-The battle in context:Before the...
and as a Captain in the War of the Triple Alliance
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
in 1865 and 1866. Upon his return, he joined the editorial board of La Libertad, and was elected to the Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
Legislature. He married the former Fanny Agrelo in 1868, and they had nine children.
Seeber established a construction firm, the Catalinas Warehouses and Pier Company, Ltd., in 1872. The firm obtained a municipal contract for the construction of the Catalina Docks (located along what later became the Catalinas Norte
Catalinas Norte
Catalinas Norte is an important business complex composed of fifteen commercial office buildings, in two sections, and occupied by numerous leading Argentine companies, foreign subsidiaries, diplomatic offices, and a hotel...
office park). Needing a large and steady supply of soil to level and grade the hitherto flood-prone site for the wharf, Seeber bought land in the then-desolate northwest end of the city with the intent of hauling soil to Catalinas for land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
. Enlisting workers mostly from 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....
, these latter established a neighborhood (Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. It is located between the barrios of Villa Pueyrredón, Belgrano, Villa Ortúzar, Coghlan, Saavedra and Agronomía. Its limits are the streets and avenues Constituyentes, Crisólogo Larralde, Galván, Núñez, Tronador,...
) there in 1887.
Seeber was named President of the Buenos Aires Western Railway
Buenos Aires Western Railway
The Buenos Aires Western Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
in 1887. He commissioned the construction of the important rail link
Rail transport in Argentina
The Argentine railway network comprised of track at the end of the Second World War and was, in its time, one of the most extensive and prosperous in South America. However, with the increase in highway construction, there followed a sharp decline in railway profitability, leading to the break-up...
between Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
and 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...
. He also invested in the development of the city's first large-scale department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
, Bon Marché
Galerías Pacífico
Galerías Pacífico is a shopping centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located at the intersection of Florida Street and Córdoba Avenue.-Overview:...
, and was appointed Mayor of 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...
on May 10, 1889, by President Miguel Juárez Celman.
He continued his immediate predecessors' emphasis on public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, having 400 blocks of city streets paved, installing sanitation services in the impoverished La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...
district, establishing right-of-way ordinances for the city's growing traffic, and initiating the development of what later became Florida Street
Florida Street
Florida Street is an elegant shopping street in Downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. A pedestrian street since 1971, some stretches have been pedestrianized since 1913....
(today Buenos Aires' best known pedestrianized street). He also approved plans for what, during the 1920s, became Diagonal Norte Avenue as part of larger (never realized) design for a series of diagonal avenues downtown. Another plan approved during his tenure ultimately became Nueve de Julio Avenue in the 1930s, and his administration also began or completed the creation or improvement of numerous city park
City Park
City Park can refer to:Australia*Launceston City ParkCanada* City Park, Saskatoon, a neighbourhoodHungary* City Park Kenya* City Park, NairobiLuxembourg* City Park , a park in central Luxembourg CityUnited Kingdom...
s and recreational and cultural sites, among them the Buenos Aires Zoo
Buenos Aires Zoo
The Buenos Aires Zoo is an zoo in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Zoo contains 89 species of mammals, 49 species of reptiles and 175 species of birds, with a total of over 2,500 different animals...
and the National Historical Museum.
The Panic of 1890
Panic of 1890
The Panic of 1890 was an acute depression, although less serious than other panics of the era. It was precipitated by the near insolvency of Barings Bank in London. Barings, led by Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, faced bankruptcy in November 1890 due mainly to excessive risk-taking on poor...
, and the ensuing chaos, led to Seeber's resignation on June 4, and on June 22, he traveled to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He represented Argentina in the 1894 Universal Peace Congress in Antwerp, where he was an early advocate for free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
. Seeber returned that year and took part in a commission to organize the nation's far-lung territories in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and the far north. Following an 1897 stay in Europe for the purpose of studying the organization of the Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
Corps, he toured South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
for an appreciation of prevailing conditions, about which he wrote in his 1903 survey, Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Uruguay, Perú, Bolivia y Paraguay: estudios comparativos. Seeber, who also wrote numerous articles on his military studies in Europe, was named head of the Quartermaster's Advisory Board in Argentina.
Francisco Seeber retired in Buenos Aires, and died there in 1913 at age 72. He was interred in La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents of Argentina.- History :...
.