Gervasio Antonio de Posadas

In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisde Posadasand the second or maternal family name isDávila.

Gervasio Antonio de Posadas
Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
In office 31 January 1814 – 9 January 1815
Preceded by	Second Triumvirate
Succeeded by	Carlos María de Alvear
Personal details
Born	(1757-06-18)18 June 1757 Buenos Aires
Died	2 July 1833(1833-07-02)(aged 76) Buenos Aires
Nationality	Argentine
Profession	Lawyer

Gervasio Antonio de Posadas y Dávila(18 June 1757, inBuenos Aires– 2 July 1833, in Buenos Aires) was a member ofArgentina'sSecond Triumviratefrom 19 August 1813 to 31 January 1814, after which he served as Supreme Director until 9 January 1815.

Posadas' early studies were at the convent of San Francisco. Then he studied and practiced law with Manuel José de Labardén. In 1789 Posadas was appointed notary general for the bishopric, and held that post until the events of theMay Revolution.He was unaware of the impending revolution and was caught by surprise when theBuenos Aires Cabildo(town hall) was occupied on 25 May 1810; he did not agree that it had been legitimately done. His donations to theSociedad Patrióticamade him an associate of theSaavedristfaction, so the leaders of the riots of 5 April 1811 exiled him toMendoza.A month later he was appointed solicitor-procurator for the City of Buenos aires.

Like many other nineteenth century Argentines prominent in public life, Posadas was afreemason.

The Second Triumvirate commissioned Posadas,Nicolás Rodríguez PeñaandJuan Larreato draft a Constitution for consideration by theAsamblea del Año XIII,then he became part of the Triumvirate when the Assembly granted Executive Power to the Triumvirate. Then on 22 January 1814 the same Assembly decided to concentrate the Executive Power in him as a Supreme Director for theUnited Provinces,and so he took that office for a one-year period. During his rule,Saavedraand Campana were exiled,Montevideofell to theUnited Provincesbut serious problems arose withJosé Gervasio Artigasand theLiga Federalon theBanda Oriental.Moreover,Ferdinand VII of Spainregained his throne in 1815.

Posadas was succeeded in office by his nephew,Carlos María de Alvear,who was removed soon afterwards by a militarycoup d'état.By August 1815 the wholeAlvearistafaction was in disgrace and Posadas was jailed. The former Supreme Director spent the next six years in 22 different jails. He began writing his memoirs in 1829.

References

• "Posadas, Gervasio Antonio".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.1900.

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