Vicente G. Quesada

Vicente Gregorio Quesada was a lawyer, editor, and public official whose diplomatic career grew out of his work on Argentine history and institutions. Born in Buenos Aires in 1830, he obtained a doctorate in jurisprudence and worked in Paraná, where he developed connections with Justo José de Urquiza. With Carlos Casavalle he founded the Revista del Paraná to publish research on the history, literature, and laws of the American republics. ¹

He served in Congress, in the Buenos Aires provincial government, and as director of the city's public library, the predecessor of the National Library. As director, he acquired foreign material and improved the institution's facilities. His writings ranged from La Patagonia y las Tierras Australes to Crónicas Potosinas and Memorias de un viejo. His foreign service included Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and the Vatican, as well as the United States. ¹

In Washington, Quesada pursued legal and territorial questions. In November 1885 he formally transmitted Argentina's new extradition law to Secretary of State Thomas Bayard, explaining the government's intention to establish general rules in place of inconsistent special conventions. He also protested President Grover Cleveland's dismissive description of the Argentine settlement attacked by the Lexington in 1831, renewing his predecessor's claim. The American reply did not satisfy Argentina. ^{2, 3}

Quesada also wrote critically about the society in which he served. His Washington recollections and the work published under the name Domingo de Pantoja offered observations on American customs. He died in Buenos Aires in 1913. ^{4, 1}