Agustín Argüelles
Spanish liberal politician (1776-1844)

Agustín Argüelles (18 August 1776 in Ribadesella, Asturias – 26 March 1844 in Madrid) was a Spanish liberal politician. He served as the 81st and 94th president of the Congress of Deputies.
Biography
He studied Law at the University of Oviedo and worked as secretary of the bishop of Barcelona. In 1809, he was appointed secretary of the patriotic Royal Junta of the Treasury and Legislation. He was a member of the Cortes of Cádiz and was selected for the Constitutional commission, playing thus a key role in the drafting of the Constitution of 1812. Siding with the liberal faction of the Parliament, he promoted freedom of the press, free-market and physiocracy, the abolishment of torture, the prosecution of slave trade and the abolishment of the jurisdictional power of manors. He showed a notable oratorial skill during the parliamentary debates.
When in 1814 the War of Independence finished and Ferdinand VII returned to Spain as absolute monarch, Argüelles was imprisoned in Ceuta and later in Alcudia (Majorca). After the Riego's coup d'état in 1820, he was appointed minister of the Interior and led the moderate wing of the liberal party. He resigned in 1821 and was elected member of the Parliament in 1822.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q634348. VIAF identifies the subject as 66521272. The Library of Congress control number is n85178906. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1776, 1844, 1809 and 1812.
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This entry incorporates text from “Agustín Argüelles” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.