Famous Argentine Political Leaders

Argentine Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara, was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution. A physician by profession, he developed radical views upon witnessing the injustices in the world and joined Fidel Castro’s revolutionary 26th of July Movement. Assassinated in 1967, he remains both a revered and reviled historical figure.

José de San Martín was an Argentine general who played an important role in the Spanish American wars of independence. San Martín is considered a national hero of Peru and Argentina. The Order of the Liberator General San Martín, the highest honor conferred by the government of Argentina, was created in his honor.

Jorge Rafael Videla was an Argentine military officer who was appointed by President Isabel Perón as the General Commander of the Army in 1975. From 1976 to 1981, he served as the de facto President of Argentina after deposing Isabel Perón in a coup d'état. As a member of the Military Junta, Videla was later accused of violating human rights.

Néstor Kirchner was an Argentine politician and lawyer best remembered for his service as the President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 to 10 December 2007. He also served as the Governor of Santa Cruz from 1991 to 2003. Kirchner, who had a great impact on Argentine politics, played a key role in the economic and foreign policies of Argentina.

Leopoldo Galtieri was an Argentine politician and general. He is remembered for serving as the President of Argentina from 1981 to 1982. He played an important role in the National Reorganization Process and ruled as a military dictator as part of the Third Junta. A member of the 1976 military coup d'état, Galtieri overthrew Roberto Viola before ruling the country.

Raúl Alfonsín was an Argentine statesman and lawyer best remembered for his service as the President of Argentina from 1983 to 1989. Widely regarded as the father of modern democracy, Alfonsín was the first democratically elected President of Argentina after over seven years of military dictatorship. His political approach came to be known as Alfonsinism.

Manuel Belgrano was an Argentine lawyer, politician, economist, journalist, and military leader. Widely regarded as one of the most important Libertadores of Argentina, Belgrano played a prominent role in the Argentine Wars of Independence and is credited with creating the Flag of Argentina. Manuel Belgrano is regarded as one of the greatest heroes in the history of Argentina.

Reynaldo Bignone was an Argentine general who ruled as a military dictator from 1982 to 1983. He was involved in the kidnapping and murder of people who opposed the military junta during the Dirty War. He also ordered the annihilation of all documentation on the missing people. Reynaldo Bignone was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment in 2010.

Gabriela Michetti is an Argentine politician who became only the second woman from Argentina after Isabel Perón to serve as the vice president of the country; she served in this position from 2015 to 2019. Gabriela Michetti also served as the National Senator from 2013 to 2015.

Hipólito Yrigoyen was an Argentine politician best remembered for his service as the President of Argentina on two occasions; from 1916 to 1922 and again from 1928 to 1930. He is also remembered for introducing numerous social reforms, including compulsory pensions, regulation of working hours, and improvements in factory conditions, for which he was called the father of the poor.

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine activist, writer, intellectual, and statesman. He is remembered for his service as the President of Argentina from 12 October 1868 to 11 October 1874. Sarmiento was part of a group called the Generation of 1837, which had a huge impact on 19th-century Argentina. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento also had a major influence on Argentine literature.

Roberto Eduardo Viola was an Argentine military officer best remembered for serving as the President of Argentina from March to December 1981. He was appointed as the president by a military junta before being ousted by a military coup led by Leopoldo Galtieri. In 1983, Viola was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment for the violations committed by the junta.

Luis Moreno Ocampo is an Argentine lawyer who played an important role in the country's democratic transition between 1983 and 1991. In 2003, he became the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and served in that position until 2012.

Bartolomé Mitre was an Argentine soldier, statesman, and author. He is best remembered for his service as the President of Argentina from 12 October 1862 to 12 October 1868. A major political figure that best characterized liberalism in 19th century Argentina, Bartolomé Mitre was also a historian, journalist, writer, and poet.

Daniel Scioli is an Argentine politician, businessman, and sportsman. The current Ambassador of Argentina to Brazil, Scioli is also known for his service as the Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. From 2007 to 2015, he also served as the Governor of Buenos Aires. As a sportsperson, Daniel Scioli represented his city in swimming, basketball, and tennis.

Argentine Peronist politician and former president Adolfo Rodríguez Saá is the current national senator of the country. He made headlines when he resigned from his presidency in 2001, just 7 days after being sworn in, blaming the internal politics of his party amidst an economic crisis and civil unrest.

Argentine poet José Hernández is best known for his long epic poem Martín Fierro. Having spent a part of his life in the pampas, he learned the ways and means of the gauchos and often described them in his works, such as The Gaucho Martin Fierro, a fine work of gaucho poetry.

Edelmiro J. Farrell was an Argentine general who served as the President of Argentina from 24 February 1944 to 3 June 1946. Farrell was responsible for the rise of Juan Perón, who went on to serve as the president of the country on three occasions between 1946 and 1974. 

Hernando Arias de Saavedra was a politician and soldier of criollo ancestry. He served as the governor of Governorate of the Río de la Plata on two occasions, becoming the first person to serve as governor of a New World's European colony after being born in the Americas. He also served as the Governorate of Paraguay from 1615 to 1617.

José Mármol was an Argentine politician, journalist, writer, and librarian of the Romantic school. His lyric poems showcase his unique descriptive sensibility. After being in exile for 13 years, Mármol returned to his homeland where he was elected a senator from the province of Buenos Aires. José Mármol is also credited with founding three journals, including the famous La Semana.