Carlos Saavedra Lamas (1878-1959) was an Argentine scholar, statesman, and diplomat who achieved world recognition for international reconciliation efforts during the 1930s.

Carlos Saavedra Lamas was born in Buenos Aires on Nov. 1, 1878, to a family of the porteño aristocracy. In 1903 he earned a doctorate of laws at the National University. His career in public service began with appointments as director of public credit (1906-1907) and as secretary of the Buenos Aires municipality (1907). He spent two terms in the National Congress, where he promoted the "Saavedra Lamas Law" of 1912, which protected domestic sugar producers from foreign competition. In 1915 he headed the Ministries of Justice and Public Education.

Saavedra Lamas presided over the International Labor Conference in Geneva in 1928. He served as minister of foreign affairs (1932-1938) and represented Argentina at several international conferences. He presided over the League of Nations Assembly in 1936, which Argentina had recently rejoined...