Matías de Irigoyen

Matías de Irigoyen was an Argentine military officer and politician. Trained in the Spanish Navy and present at the Battle of Trafalgar, he returned to Buenos Aires in 1809 and joined the revolutionary cause after the May Revolution. He was dispatched on the first diplomatic mission to Britain in 1810; later he briefly formed part of a provisional executive named in April 1815, served as capitán del puerto of Buenos Aires (1815–1816), and held senior wartime posts including Secretary (Minister) of War and Navy during the Directorial period. In February 1820, amid the political crisis following the Battle of Cepeda, he briefly served as interim governor in Buenos Aires before the installation of Manuel de Sarratea.