View source for Rodolfo Terragno

{{Short description|Argentine lawyer and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rodolfo Terragno
| image = Rodolfo Terragno (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rodolfo Terragno
| office = [[UNESCO|Argentine Ambassador to UNESCO]]
| term_start = 3 February 2016
| term_end = 10 December 2019
| predecessor = [[Miguel Ángel Estrella]]
| successor = [[Fernando Solanas]]
| office1 = [[Argentine Senate|National Senator]]
| term_start1 = 10 December 2001
| term_end1 = 10 December 2007
| constituency1 = [[Buenos Aires|City of Buenos Aires]]
| office2 = [[Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers]]
| term_start2 = 10 December 1999
| term_end2 = 6 October 2000
| predecessor2 = [[Jorge Rodríguez (Argentine politician)|Jorge Rodríguez]]
| successor2 = [[Chrystian Colombo]]
| president2 = [[Fernando de la Rúa]]
| office3 = President of the National Committee of the [[Radical Civic Union]]
| term_start3 = 1995
| term_end3 = 1997
| preceded3 = [[Raúl Alfonsín]]
| succeeded3 = [[Fernando De la Rúa]] 
| office4 = [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies|National Deputy]]
| term_start4 = 10 December 1993
| term_end4 = 10 December 1999
| constituency4 = [[Buenos Aires|City of Buenos Aires]]
| office5 = [[Ministry of Public Works (Argentina)|Minister of Public Works and Services]]
| term_start5 = 16 September 1987
| term_end5 = 26 May 1989
| president5 = [[Raúl Alfonsín]]
| predecessor5 = [[:es:Pedro Trucco|Pedro Trucco]] 
| successor5 = [[:es:Roberto Pedro Echarte|Roberto Pedro Echarte]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|11|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]
| profession = Lawyer
| party = [[Radical Civic Union]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Buenos Aires]]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Rodolfo Terragno''' (born 16 November 1943) is an Argentine politician and lawyer, former [[Argentine Senate|Senator]] and journalist. From 2016 to 2019, he was Argentina's ambassador to [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iprofesional.com/notas/227051-Formalizan-la-designacion-de-Rodolfo-Terragno-como-embajador-ante-la-Unesco|work=iProfesional|title=Formalizan la designación de Rodolfo Terragno como embajador ante la Unesco|date=4 February 2016|access-date=4 December 2020|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clarin.com/opinion/rodolfo-terragno-despedida-vida-publica-rendicion-cuentas_0_vHf-0Pa8.html|work=[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]|title=Rodolfo Terragno y su despedida de la vida pública: rendición de cuentas|last=Terragno|first=Rodolfo|date=7 December 2019|access-date=4 December 2020|language=es}}</ref>

==Life and times==
Terragno was born in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]], in 1943 and obtained a law degree from the [[University of Buenos Aires]] in 1967, founding the law firm of Terragno & Associates. He married Sonia Pascual Sánchez, with whom he had two children. He became a prestigious journalist, appointed editor-in-chief for the [[newsmagazine]] ''Confirmado'' between 1967 and 1968, was a columnist for ''La Opinión'' newspaper, and an editor in ''Cuestionario'' magazine. Terragno became adjunct professor of law at his alma mater in 1973. Intimidation by the [[National Reorganization Process|dictatorship]] installed in 1976 led to his exile in [[Caracas]], where he became editor-in-chief of ''[[El Diario de Caracas]]''. In 1980, he was appointed researcher for the [[Institute of Latin American Studies]] in [[London]] and for the [[London School of Economics]], posts he held until 1982. He remained in London as editor-in-chief of ''Letters'', until 1987.<ref name=ter>[http://www.terragno.org.ar/quien_es.php Biografia, terragno.org {{in lang|es}}]</ref>

Affiliated to the centrist [[Radical Civic Union]] since 1961, he was appointed [[Ministry of Public Works (Argentina)|Minister of Public Works]] by President [[Raúl Alfonsín]] in 1987, whereby he initiated a modest program of privatizations. Terragno received the [[Ordre National du Mérite]] from [[France|French]] President [[François Mitterrand]], in 1987. Elected [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies|Congressman]] in 1993, he campaigned against the [[Olivos Pact]] negotiated between UCR leader [[Raúl Alfonsín]] and President [[Carlos Menem]], who sought the deal in a bid to [[1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution|amend the Argentine Constitution]] to allow himself reelection. He sought the UCR's vice-presidential nomination in a ticket with [[Federico Storani]], but was defeated by Alfonsín's choice: [[Río Negro Province]] Governor [[Horacio Massaccesi]]. Loyal to the struggling UCR, he agreed to be Massaccesi's Chief of Staff-designate in March, a move that did not stave off defeat in the [[1995 Argentine general election|May 1995 elections]].<ref name=ter/>

Out of Congress, he sought and won election as President of the UCR, helping negotiate a successful alliance with the center-left [[Frepaso]]. The [[Alliance for Work, Justice and Education|Alliance]]'s victory in the [[1997 Argentine legislative election|1997 midterm elections]] paved the way for their victory in 1999. Terragno resigned from Congress to accept the influential post of [[Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers]] for [[President of Argentina|President]] [[Fernando de la Rúa]], though fallout over a bribery scandal involving the President led to his resignation in October 2000. He was elected Senator for [[Buenos Aires]] in 2001 and served until 2007, by which time he sat on a splinter UCR ticket.<ref name=ter/> Terragno began efforts to join Vice President [[Julio Cobos]] (a popular UCR figure distanced from the President, [[Cristina Kirchner]]) in an alliance with [[Alternative for a Republic of Equals|ARI]] leader [[Elisa Carrió]] in January 2009, though no agreement was reached.<ref>[http://www.terragno.org.ar/vernota.php?id_nota=975 Articulos, terragno.org {{in lang|es}}]</ref>

==Selected publications==

*''La Simulación'' (2005)
*''El Peronismo de los '70'' (2005)
*''Falklands/Malvinas'' (2002)
*''Maitland & San Martín'' (1998)
*''Bases para un Modelo de Crecimiento, Empleo y Bienestar'' (1996)
*''El Nuevo Modelo'' (1994)
*''Proyecto 95'' (1993)
*''La Argentina del Siglo 21'' (1985)
*''The Challenge of Real Development'' (1987). 
*''Muerte y Resurrección de los Políticos'' (1981) 
*''Memorias del Presente'' (1984) 
*''Contratapas'' (1976) 
*''Los 400 Días de Perón'' (1974) 
*''Los Dueños del Poder'' (1972)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{in lang|es}} [http://www.terragno.org.ar/ Official website]
*{{in lang|es}} [http://terragno.senado.gov.ar/ Biography at the National Senate]

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[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Argentine people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina]]
[[Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Members of the Argentine Senate for Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Permanent delegates of Argentina to UNESCO]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine lawyers]]
[[Category:Argentine journalists]]
[[Category:Argentine male journalists]]
[[Category:Radical Civic Union politicians]]
[[Category:University of Buenos Aires alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Buenos Aires]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]