Carlos Saavedra Lamas
Carlos Saavedra Lamas (1878-1959) was an Argentine academic and politician. Born into an influential patrician family, he studied law and spent time in Paris before embarking on a career spanning over four decades in teaching and public service in Argentina, culminating in his role as Foreign Minister.
Teaching trajectory
After receiving his Doctor of Laws degree in 1903, he studied in Paris, then returned to become a professor in law and constitutional history at Universidad de La Plata. His teaching career lasted over forty years. His scholarship focused on labor legislation and international law.
Political trajectory
His political career began in 1906 as director of Public Credit and then secretary-general for the municipality of Buenos Aires in 1907. In 1908, he was elected to Parliament, serving two terms. He initiated legislation on coastal water rights, irrigation, colonization, immigration, and government finances. He saved Argentina’s arbitration treaty with Italy in 1908. As Minister of Justice and Education in 1915, he introduced educational reform. He was not in public office between 1916 and 1932. He supported the foundation of the International Labor Organization in 1919 and led the Argentine delegation to its conference in 1928. He was elected Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1932, during which his career peaked with peace negotiations in the Chaco War, leading to his Anti-War Pact (Saavedra Lamas Pact), which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1936.
Connections between both careers
Saavedra Lamas's academic expertise in labor legislation and international law directly informed his political career. His teaching career, lasting over forty years, paralleled his political service, and his scholarship in international law was foundational to his diplomatic achievements, including the Anti-War Pact and legislation on asylum, immigration, and international peace.
Contradictions
Despite his achievements, Saavedra Lamas was a controversial figure. He was seen by some as an elitist, too conservative, and too open to British intervention in Argentina's railway system. Critiques emerged regarding the legitimacy of his Nobel Peace Prize, with suggestions of political maneuvers and diplomatic manipulations to secure the award. Critics like Arturo Jauretche and Spruille Braden viewed his efforts as self-serving and driven by pathological ambition and vanity, rather than genuine peacemaking.
Sources
“Carlos Saavedra Lamas – Biographical - NobelPrize.org.” n.d. Nobel Prize. Accessed July 12, 2026. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1936/lamas/biographical/.
Saavedra Lamas, Carlos. 1927. Centro de legislación social y del trabajo / dirigido por el dr. Carlos Saavedra Lamas. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Imprenta de la Universidad. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/010467572.
Saavedra Lamas, Carlos, and Argentina. 1933. Código nacional del trabajo, con un prefacio de Albert Thomas. Librería y editorial “La Facultad” de J. Roldán y cía.
González Levaggi, Ariel, and Maximiliano Zuccarino. 2023. “Carlos Saavedra Lamas: A Vision for Peace.” In Latin American Thinkers of Peace, edited by Roberto Domínguez. 27-28: Springer International Publishing.
“Tratado antibélico de no-agresión y de conciliación (Pacto Saavedra-Lamas),” Anti-War Treaty. 1933. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Departamento de Derecho Internacional, DEA. https://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/tratados/b-9.html.
Caminos, Hugo. 2006. “Saavedra Lamas Treaty,” Encyclopedia Entry. Oxford Public International Law. https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e77?p=emailAw.cksVVmHYqg&d=/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e77&print.
Fraga, Rosendo. 1991. 52: Carlos Saavedra Lamas: estudio preliminar. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Centro de Estudios Unión para la Nueva Mayoría.
Wright, Winthrop R. 2014. British-Owned Railways in Argentina: Their Effect on the Growth of Economic Nationalism, 1854-1948. 99-100: University of Texas Press. **request out in library to double check this citation and expand the idea, I pulled it from another source**
González Levaggi, Ariel, and Maximiliano Zuccarino. 2023. “Carlos Saavedra Lamas: A Vision for Peace.” In Latin American Thinkers of Peace, edited by Roberto Domínguez. 27: Springer International Publishing.
González Levaggi, Ariel, and Maximiliano Zuccarino. 2023. 29.
Jauretche, Arturo, and Norberto Galasso. 1981. Las polémicas de Jauretche. Los Nacionales Editores. **requested in library for page**
Fraga, Rosendo. 1991. : Carlos Saavedra Lamas: estudio preliminar. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Centro de Estudios Unión para la Nueva Mayoría.
González Levaggi, Ariel, and Maximiliano Zuccarino. 2023. 29.
“Carlos Saavedra Lamas – Biographical - NobelPrize.org.” n.d. Nobel Prize. Accessed July 12, 2026. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1936/lamas/biographical/.
Cepernic, Marcelo. 2023. “Marcelo Cepernic recordó los apodos más insólitos de los personajes históricos.” Nuevo Día (Santa Cruz), November 24, 2023. https://www.eldiarionuevodia.com.ar/locales/info-general/2023/11/24/marcelo-cepernic-recordo-los-apodos-mas-insolitos-de-los-personajes-historicos-217760.html.
“Revisionistas de Gral San Martín.” 2019. https://revisionistasdesanmartin.blogspot.com/2019/03/los-apodos-de-los-presidentes-1862-1943.html. **iffy sourcing**