Gelly y Obes, Juan Andrés (1815–1904)
Gelly y Obes, Juan Andrés (1815–1904)
Juan Andrés Gelly y Obes (b. 20 May 1815; d. 19 September 1904), Argentine general. Born in Buenos Aires, Gelly y Obes took exile in Montevideo with the rest of his family during the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas. In 1839 he joined the unitario forces fighting against Rosas. Returning to Argentina after the fall of Rosas, he held both military and political offices in the separatist government of Buenos Aires Province and in 1861 became minister of war for a united Argentina in the cabinet of Bartolomé Mitre. He became chief of staff of the Argentine army of operations during the War of the Triple Alliance as well as personally taking part in many of the battles.
After the war Gelly y Obes fought against rebellious caudillos of the interior, yet took part himself in Mitre's unsuccessful 1874 uprising and in the porteño rebellion of 1880 over the federalization of Buenos Aires. He continued to hold various political and military positions until his death.
See alsoArgentina: Movements: Unitarists; Mitre Bartolomé; Juan Manuel de.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arturo Capdevila, ed., Vidas de grandes argentinos, vol. 2 (1966), pp. 9-12.
José S. Campobassi, Mitre y su época (1980).