Antonio J. Benítez
Antonio Juan Benítez (3 March 1903 – 14 June 1992) was an Argentine politician. Initially a member of the Radical Civic Union, he later became a supporter of General Juan Perón, and served in several important positions during the successive peronist governments.
Antonio J. Benítez | |
|---|---|
Benítez in 1983 | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 11 July 1975 – 11 August 1975 | |
| President | Isabel Perón |
| Preceded by | Alberto Rocamora |
| Succeeded by | Vicente Damasco |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 25 May 1973 – 10 June 1975 | |
| President | See list
|
| Preceded by | Gervasio Colombres |
| Succeeded by | Ernesto Corvalán Nanclares |
| In office 26 March 1945 – 4 June 1945 | |
| President | Edelmiro Farrell |
| Preceded by | Rómulo Etcheverry Boneo |
| Succeeded by | Héctor Vernengo Lima |
| National Deputy | |
| In office 26 April 1946 – 16 September 1955 | |
| Constituency | Federal Capital (1946–1952) 15th Circunscription of the Federal Capital (1952–1955) 1st Circunscription of the Federal Capital (1955) |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 25 April 1953 – 25 April 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Héctor Cámpora |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Rocamora |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1903 Rosario, Argentina |
| Died | 14 June 1992 (aged 89) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Political party | Radical Civic Union (until 1946) Justicialist Party (1946–1992) |
| Alma mater | Universidad Nacional del Litoral |
| Signature | |
A lawyer by profession, Benítez first served as Minister of Justice during the de facto administration of President Edelmiro Farrell, who rose to power after the 1943 coup d'état. Later, in 1946, Benítez was elected to the National Chamber of Deputies in the same election that brought Juan Perón to the presidency. In 1953, Benítez was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies, a position he held until 1955. Like most other high-ranking Peronists, Benítez was deposed and suffered persecution under the military government that rose to power in the 1955 coup d'état.
Benítez returned to his post as Minister of Justice in 1973, upon the election of the peronist Héctor Cámpora as president. He would remain in the position during the successive, short-lived peronist governments that followed, serving as minister to Raúl Lastiri, Juan Perón, and Isabel Perón. In July 1975, Isabel Perón appointed him as Minister of the Interior.
An academic and professor in the field of law (and especially aviation law), Benítez taught classes at his alma mater, the National University of the Littoral, and at the University of Buenos Aires. He also served as national commissioner of the University of Buenos Aires in 1945.