The elder Obligado had enrolled at the bar at the Royal Audiencia of Charcas, was among the signatories of the Open Cabildo of May 22, 1810, that ushered the May Revolution, and served as Economy Minister for the subsequent Directorate.

He advocated against Buenos Aires' ratification of the San Nicolás Agreement, and became one of a leading group of Unitarian Party lawmakers most opposed to any pact signed with the now paramount Entre Ríos Governor, Justo José de Urquiza.

Governor Obligado obtained passeage of the Constitution of Buenos Aires on April 12, 1854, and initiated an ambitious public works program, installing the first gas lamps and running water system in the city, and establishing what later became the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, as well as a network of public primary schools for the largely illiterate population at the time.

The 1854 constitution, drafted by Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield, asserted the sovereignty of Buenos Aires, including its right to engage in its own diplomatic relations, as well as a bicameral legislature and freedom of worship.

The event, coordinated by French engineer Adolphe Bertonnet, failed to persuade the governor, however, despite its enthusiastic coverage by the official news daily, Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield's El Nacional.