The Argentine National Territory of Tierra del Fuego - actually a group of islands
(Isla Grande, Isla Navariono, etc) - was created in 1884 out of the southernmost
parts of the former Territory of Patagonia.
ARGENTINE ANTARCTICA
Formally also under the jurisdiction of the governor of the National Territory of
the Tierra del Fuego were some Antarctic islands and territories (Georgias del Sur,
Orcadas del Sur, Sandwich del Sur, etc) claimed by Argentina but actually forming
the British Falkland Islands Dependencies.
This claims were based on ancient Spanish titles (such as the Treaty of Tordesillas
of 1494), the right of first discovery (while the British claimed South Georgia was
discovered by James Cook in 1775, the Argentians claimed that the Georgias del Sur
had already been reached by the Sapnish navigator León in 1756, etc) and increasing
Argentine economic and scientific activities in the region.
For most of the period the claims were purely diplomatic, but in 1942 the Argentine
government - taking advantage of the war situation - organized a major Antarctic
expedition headed by Capt. Alberto J. Oddera (1900 - ....) who formally proclaimed
the annexation of an Argentine sector of Antarctica. (1)
(1) Actual Argentine presence remained limited to some scientific expeditions,
to the activies of whalers - especially of the Compañía Argentina de Pesca
(CAP) established in 1904 - and to two meteorological bases - Orcadas (on
the Orcadas del Sur since 1904) and Grytviken (on Georgias del Sur 1905 -
1943) - managed by the Argentine Meteorological Office.
Directors of the Argentine Meteorological Office
Directores del Oficina Meteorológica Argentina
(subordinated to the Minister of Agriculture)
1885 - 1915 Gualterio G. Davis
1915 - 1924 Jorge Otis Wiggin
1924 - 1926 Federico A. Burmeister
1926 - 1929 Capt. Enrique G. Plate
1929 - 1930 Roberto C. Mossman
1930 - 1932 Martín Gil
1932 - 1949 Alfredo Galmarini
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CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Governors
Gobernadores
(subordinated to the Minister of the Interior)
1880 - 1890 Capt. Félix María Paz 1859 -
1890 - 1893 Maj. Mario Cornero
1893 - 1899 Pedro Godoy 1858 - ....
1899 - 1902 Félix A. Carrié
1902 - 1905 Capt. Esteban De Loqui
1905 - 1918 Manuel Fernández Valdés
1918 Haroldo Arturo Simesen de Bielke*
1918 - 1919 Cayetano Ripoll*
1919 - 1920 Juan Grandón*
1920 Avelino Jiménez*
1920 Esteban Repetto*
1920 - 1922 LtCol. Carlos C. Molina
1924 - 1932 Lt. Juan María Gómez
1932 - 1935 Capt. Jorge Siches
1935 - 1939 Capt. Carlos Moneta
1939 - 1942 Capt. Gregorio Báez
1942 - 1943 Horacio A. Rotondaro
In 1943 the territory was placed under military rule, formally to protect Argentine
navigation in the area against foreign attacks, but possibly also to support the
the national activities in Antarctica.
Maritime Governors
Gobernadores Maritimos
(subordinated to the Minister of the Navy)
1943 - 1944 CAdm. Fidel L. Anadón
1944 - 1946 CAdm. Gregorio Antonio Portillo
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