Luis Vernet

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Luis Vernet (born Louis Vernet in 1792 in France - died in 1871 in San Isidro, Argentina) was the 4th and last Argentine Governor of Puerto Soledad, the Argentine penal colony in the Falkland Islands, from 1829 until 1831. Prior to his appointment as Governor, Vernet was a successful businessman with wide commercial interests in the Falklands. Vernet's actions as Governor led to the destruction of the colony. The appointment of Vernet was challenged by the British consul in Buenos Aires, who restated the previous British claim to the Islands.

Vernet arrived in Puerto Soledad in 1829. The Argentine colony was only established in 1820 following the abandonment of the previous Spanish and British colonies in the Falklands in 1811 and 1774 respectively. The colony was largely archaic, and the Argentine government hoped that Vernet's appointment would bolster the economic and political status of the colony, given his extensive business operations.

Vernet was granted a monopoly on seal hunting and one of his first acts was to curb seal hunting on the Islands by others, to conserve the dwindling seal population for his own dealings. Vernet later seized the American ship, Harriet, for breaking the restrictions on seal hunting. Property on board the ship was seized and the captain was returned to Buenos Aires to stand trial. Vernet also returned for the trial. The American Consul in Argentina protested the actions by Vernet, stating that the United States did not recognise Argentine sovereignty in the Falklands. The consul dispatched the USS Lexington warship to the Puerto Soledad to retake the confiscated property, as well as the "Superior" and "Breakwater" which had also been seized.

The captain of the Lexington found what he considered evidence of piracy and took away the Argentine settlement at Puerto Soledad which he described as "the whole of the (Falklands') population consisting of about forty persons, with the exception of some gauchos, or cowboys who were encamped in the interior." On leaving, the captain declared the Islands to be res nullius (free of all government) and returned to Montevideo, Uruguay. This left the islands in a state of anarchy, occupied by escaped convicts and pirates. Attempts by the Argentine government to re-establish the penal colony failed when a new Governor arrived in the islands in November 1832, only to be murdered by a mutiny. In January 1833, the United Kingdom invaded the Falkland Islands and expelled the colony, regaining control of the islands.