| Francisco López de Osornio y Merlo | |
| Birth Name: | Francisco López de Osornio y Merlo de la Mota |
| Birth Date: | 1681 |
| Birth Place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Death Date: | 1756 |
| Death Place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Spouse: | María Gamiz de las Cuevas |
| Children: | Domingo López de Osornio Lorenzo López de Osornio María Josefa López de Osornio Tomasa López de Osornio Juana Rosa López de Osornio Justa López de Osornio Faustina López de Osornio Clemente López de Osornio Pascual López de Osornio |
| Parents: | |
| Profession: | military man |
| Serviceyears: | 1700-1750 |
| Rank: | Captain |
| Commands: | Milicias Provinciales de Buenos Aires |
| Awards: | is not set --> |
Francisco López de Osornio Merlo (1681 – 1756) was a Spanish military leader and landowner, who served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as Captain of the provincial militias of Buenos Aires.[1]
He was born on September 7, 1681, in Buenos Aires, the son of Francisco López Osornio and Tomasa Merlo, belonging to an illustrious family of Spanish and Creole origin. He was married on September 11, 1701, in Metropolitan Cathedral to María Gamiz de las Cuevas,[2] daughter of Pedro Gamiz de las Cuevas and Tomasa Álvarez de Lasarte, a distinguished Spanish family from Madrid.[3] His son Clemente López de Osornio, a landowner belonging to the Spanish Army, died assassinated during an indigenous incursion to the Province of Buenos Aires.[4]
He had an active participation in the military expeditions aimed at controlling the indigenous advance towards the Province of Buenos Aires. He held the honorific post of Alférez Real of the city, being the one in charge to carry the Estandarte Real in the day of Saint Martin of Tours.[5]
In 1726 he had served as commander of the Fort of Barragán, place where had ordered the construction of the first chapel.[6]