José Benjamín Zubiaur

José Mariano Zubiaur Benjamin ( born March 31, 1856 Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina, † September 6, 1921, Buenos Aires ) was an Argentine educator and is known as an innovator of the Argentine education system. His international reputation is connected with his position as a founding member of the International Olympic Committee.

Zubiaur came from a family of Spanish Basques. His grandfather left in the late 18th century the small town of Biscay in the Basque country, settling in the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in South America. The family built a small department store in which Zubiaur already had to help a child. His father died very young when he was six years old.

The economic situation of the family worsened by the death of his father greatly, though they tried the young Zubiaur to gain an education. At 14 he began an apprenticeship with a merchant. Only 19 gave him his brother, a respected academic, a scholarship to a secondary school, the Colegio Nacional del Uruguay in Concepción del Uruguay, a town in northern Argentina. Although even still young in years, Zubiaur discovered here his talent for educating young people. After a short time it was allowed to work when it in the library and to teach as a substitute teacher.

Given the generally poor economic situation in which, as Zubiaur that time itself also, many young people lived in Argentina, he therefore founded 1877 Society for Popular Education, La Fraternity, students should assist in gaining their degree.

After 1879, the Colegio Nacional Zubiaur had finished, he initially remained in Concepción, in order to study at the Colegio affiliated law school. At the same time, he led an elementary school founded by him here. However, a year later he had to leave Concepción, since the faculty was closed. At the completion of his law studies, he moved to Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, where he earned his doctorate at the University in 1884 as a doctor of jurisprudence.

During the last years of study Zubiaur worked part-time at the Ministry of Justice as a clerk. Here he quickly made a name for himself and was promoted to inspector of primary schools and further education schools. He also gave lectures for aspiring teachers and founded the magazine La occupational Educatión. This journal should be in the next two decades have considerable influence on the education system in Argentina. In 1888 he translated the well-known textbook by Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi "How Gertrude teaches her children."

Zubiaur was in 1889 as a teacher to the elders of his home country. On behalf of the Ministry of Justice, which was also responsible for culture and education, Zubiaur was appointed a member of a delegation to represent Argentina at the World Exhibition in Paris. For the purpose of studying various European school systems that time they allowed him a full year to stay in Europe, which is why he undertook the long journey with his entire family. One of his daughters, América, was born in France, the light of the world.

With its participation in various conferences, he met Pierre de Coubertin. She quickly found common ground, in particular both were convinced of the Anglo-American education program that looked at the physical exercise through sport as an essential factor for the formation of character. For Zubiaur this encounter was groundbreaking for its further work in Argentina. Couberins plans for a revival of the Olympic games were at that time still not a serious issue.

After Zubiaur had returned to Argentina, he used his position on the introduction of physical education in schools. When he director of the Colegio Nacional del Uruguay was in 1892 so the school, who began his own training, he revolutionized the formal teaching methods. He promoted the art education, formed a school orchestra, took field trips with the students, supported student societies and allowed for the first time in the country's history women to study to. He leads the in Argentina now known soccer game and rowing in physical education and organized this competition among schools.

1894 reached Zubiaur a letter from Coubertin, who told him that they had called him in, which was founded on June 23, 1894 International Olympic Committee. Coubertin saw in Zubiaur the right person, the "his" committee gave the necessary internationalism and could spread the Olympic movement in South America. However Zubiaur fact did little, which would have served the Olympic movement. The first Argentine athletes took part in the Olympic Games until 1908. After 1901, the Mexican Miguel de Beistegui and 1903 the Peruvian Carlos de Candamo were appointed to the IOC, it was only natural that Coubertin in 1907 announced in a letter Zubiaur that its membership would have expired because sent messages to him and messages went unanswered.

The differences between Zubiaur and Coubertin were evident. So was Zubiaurs interest less the Olympic ideals, but was its attachment to the educational side of the sport. The side from which he was convinced that she was also Coubertin in the foreground, at least in their only personal encounters in 1889.

So devoted Zubiaur his actions and doing almost exclusively of the education system in Argentina renewal. As Director of the Department of Education, Ministry of Justice and as a member of the National Association of Education he had the means to realize his reform programs. He wrote besides numerous groundbreaking books, articles and speeches. Until the end he remained an iron defender of the basic ideal that sport have an important educational task in the education system mainly. Sporting activities in competitions outside of this system appeared to him superfluous. In Zubiaurs idea the Olympics would have been suitable for the opportunity to provide schools and school children to show off their athletic prowess.

Zubiaur died a highly respected personality. He was buried according to his wishes, but so as it was customary for a teacher as a commoner.

• Man
• Argentine
• IOC member
• Born in 1856
• Died in 1921