View source for José C. Paz

{{short description|Argentine politician}}
{{for|the city in Buenos Aires Province|José C. Paz, Buenos Aires}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2007}}
[[File:José Clemente Paz.jpg|thumb|José Clemente Paz]]
[[File:Recoleta-Paz Monument.jpg|thumb|Tomb of José C. Paz in the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires]]
'''José Clemente Paz''' (2&nbsp;October 1842&nbsp;– 10&nbsp;March 1912) was an [[Argentina|Argentine]] politician, diplomat and journalist, founder of ''[[La Prensa (Buenos Aires)|La Prensa]]''.

==Life==
Paz was born in [[Buenos Aires]] and started his education in that city but was forced to move to [[Rosario]] due to the civil war fought in Argentina. In July 1859 the Buenos Aires squadron of Admiral Murature was attempting to pass Rosario on the river. Paz, just 16 years old, approached the Rosario positions and shouted, "¡Viva Buenos Aires!" at which point the soldiers began to fire on him. Paz saved himself by jumping into the [[Paraná River]] and swimming to the Buenos Aires ships, thus returning to the city of his birth.

In Buenos Aires Paz enlisted in the Buenos Aires forces commanded by [[Bartolomé Mitre]] and in 1860 he distinguished himself at his young age at the [[Battle of Pavón]]. At the end of the war he decided to enter politics, and worked for the party of [[Adolfo Alsina]] and began studies in law. In 1865, during the [[Paraguayan War|War of the Triple Alliance]], he founded the Society for the Protection of Invalids, a corps of nurses to treat the injured that arrived at the Port of Buenos Aires and move them to the Hospice for Invalids, also founded by Paz. To pay for the costs of these organisations, he set up a newspaper, ''El inválido argentino.'' On 18 October 1869 he founded ''[[La Prensa (Buenos Aires)|La Prensa]]''.

In 1871, Paz decided to organise a charity to help those suffering from [[yellow fever]]. That year the newspaper's chief reporter fell sick with yellow fever and Paz had him cared for at his own house.

In the 1874 revolution, Paz found himself on the side of Mitre once again. He was forced to live in exile in [[Montevideo]], where he completed his studies in law. He returned to Argentina and became a national deputy in 1879. He resigned his seat to become diplomatic representative to [[Madrid]] 1883–85, then to [[Paris]] 1885–1893. 

Paz returned to Argentina to manage the newspaper, and, though he relocated to [[Monte Carlo]] in 1900, he commissioned the building of a palace in the [[Retiro, Buenos Aires|Retiro]] area of Buenos Aires. Designed by [[French architecture|French architect]] Louis Sortais, the [[Paz Palace]] was begun in 1902 and completed in 1914. The Palace runs along the south west side of [[Plaza San Martín (Buenos Aires)|Plaza San Martín]] in downtown Buenos Aires and, housing over 6,000 m<sup>2</sup> (65,000&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup>) of space, it remains the largest single house ever built in Argentina. Its construction, however, outlived Paz, who died in Monaco in 1912. He was placed in a grand mausoleum in [[La Recoleta Cemetery]],<ref>''El Círculo Militar: 100 años despues.'' Secretaría de Información Pública, 1981.</ref> with a sculpture by French artist [[Jules-Felix Coutan]].  

Paz was featured on an Argentinian post stamp.

==See also==
*[[List of people on stamps of Argentina]]
*[[José C. Paz, Buenos Aires]]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paz, Jose Clemente}}
[[Category:1842 births]]
[[Category:1912 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery]]
[[Category:Argentine diplomats]]
[[Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Argentine journalists]]
[[Category:Argentine male journalists]]
[[Category:Argentine newspaper founders]]
[[Category:Argentine businesspeople]]