Francisco Lecocq
Francisco Lecocq (1790–1882) was a Uruguayan entrepreneur and politician.
Biography
Educated in England, he acquired there a notable capacity for business. During his stay at the park near the Santa Lucía River, which today is named after him, he experimented with wine production and forestry. He imported special plants and animals; he also investigated the silkworms, which was to become the first integral essay after that of Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga.
Along with Federico Nin Reyes and Charles Tellier, they are credited as being the inventors of the mechanism of the refrigerating plant as used on ocean vessels, to preserve meats and other perishable food. Lecocq was in charge of testing the first steps. He carried out this experiment on board of The City of Rio de Janeiro, in 1868.[1]
Political career
Back in Uruguay, he played a key role during the Uruguayan Civil War. He was appointed Mayor of Montevideo from 1855 to 1856 by president Manuel Oribe. He was later appointed Head of the Treasury Department by Gabriel Antonio Pereira. He also held a prominent place in the government after the Revolution of Las Lanzas in 1870.
In 1879 he became senator in representation of the San José Department, and he was also vice president and president of the Uruguayan Senate in 1880.
Lecocq was also a member of the freemasonry and his father was Bernardo Lecocq (1734–1820), a Spanish brigadier who was appointed to the colonies in southern South America. His grandfather, Pedro Lecocq, was Flemish and his grandmother, Maria Osney, an immigrated Irishwoman.[2]
References
- ↑ "Primeros ensayos de transporte de carnes en barcos frigoríficos" (Spanish)
- ↑ Yaben, Jacinto R. (1938). Biografías argentinas y sudamericanas. Buenos Aires.