Alejandro Korn
Alejandro Korn lived from 1860 to 1936, born in San Vicente, Buenos Aires province, and died in La Plata. He graduated as a physician in 1882, specializing in legal medicine and psychiatry. He directed the Melchor Romero psychiatric hospital and later became a prominent professor of History of Philosophy and a political figure.
Teaching trajectory
Korn graduated as a physician in 1882. From 1897 to 1916, he directed the Melchor Romero psychiatric hospital. At age 46, in 1903, he became an adjunct professor of History of Philosophy at the Universidad de La Plata, becoming a titular professor in 1906. He also taught anatomy at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata. In 1903, he became the vice-rector of the Universidad de La Plata and later dean of the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, elected by student vote. He founded the Escuela de Obstetricia at La Plata.
Political trajectory
While teaching, he was a leader in the Unión Cívica Radical and was additionally affiliated with the Socialist Party. He served locally in government as a city councilman, concejal, for La Plata, Buenos Aires. He worked to move away from the 'oligarchic republic' of electoral fraud to open 'voice' voting.
Connections between both careers
Korn was the intellectual figurehead and principal ideologue of the 1918 Reforma Universitaria, mentoring the reformist student movement and defending it publicly as a senior academic. His academic leadership and advocacy for university reform directly influenced student organizations across Latin America, connecting his pedagogical role with democratic political change within higher education.
Sources
Radio Perfil. n.d. “Alejandro Korn: iniciador del pensamiento filosófico en Argentina.” Radio Perfil.
Accessed July 20, 2026. https://radio.perfil.com/noticias/podcasts/alejandro-korn-iniciador-del-pensamiento-filosofico-en-argentina. phtml.
Radio Perfil. n.d.