11 Facts About Manuel Quintana

Manuel Pedro Quintana Saenz was the President of Argentina from 12 October 1904 to 12 March 1906.

Manuel Quintana was born on October 19,1835, son of Eladio de la Quintana y Uzin, and Maria Manuela Bernardina Saenz de Gaona y Alzaga.

Manuel Quintana received a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires in 1855 at the age of twenty and two years later he directed the chair of civil law at the same university.

Manuel Quintana participated in politics since his youth and in 1860 he was elected deputy of the legislature of the Province of Buenos Aires, by the party of Bartolome Mitre.

Manuel Quintana's presidency took place within the scope of the period called the "Liberal Republic" or "Conservative Republic", marked by the elitist government of the National Autonomist Party and electoral fraud.

The Manuel Quintana government was a mere continuation of the previous ones: its foreign and economic policies followed the guidelines of Roca's; the economy continued to improve, driven by increased trade and the rail network continued to expand.

Manuel Quintana did not agree with the uninominal system, established by the electoral law of 1901, since the system of patronage and the pressure on voters had not been modified.

Manuel Quintana was arrested and during the trial in September 1907 the defense alleged mental instability.

Manuel Quintana retired to a farm in the current Belgrano neighborhood, to rest and try to improve his health.

However, Manuel Quintana was already very old, and finally died on March 12,1906, becoming the first Argentine president to die in office.

Manuel Quintana's portrait was featured on the five hundred thousand austral banknote that circulated during the hyperinflation in Argentina from 1989 to 1991.