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José Rafael Balmaceda | |
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| Born | (1850-08-23)August 23, 1850 |
| Died | August 7, 1911(1911-08-07) (aged 60) |
José Rafael del Carmen Balmaceda Fernández (August 23, 1850 – August 7, 1911) was aChileanpolitician,diplomat and brother ofPresidentJosé Manuel Balmaceda. He was ofBasque descent.[1]
He was born inRenca, the son of Manuel José Balmaceda Ballesteros and of Encarnación Fernández Salas. He completed his studies at theInstituto Nacional and then attended theUniversity of Louvain, where he graduated with adoctorate in Political Science. Early in his life he dedicated most of his time to hisHacienda San José in Puente Alto.
José Rafael Balmaceda started his political career by joining theLiberal Party and was promptly elected deputy for "Angol" (1888–1891) and was reelected for the "Balmaceda" congress as a deputy for "Concepción and Talcahuano", but this congress was dissolved after only a few months. After the1891 Chilean Civil War that deposed his brother, PresidentJosé Manuel Balmaceda, his house was looted, and he was exiled together with his family. InBuenos Aires,Argentina he published"The revolution and condemnation of the Vicuña ministry", under thepseudonym"Nemo", in which he defended his brother's policies and attacked the revolutionary party. He also published"History Pages" and"Death of Balmaceda".
After being allowed to return to Chile, he concentrated his efforts on the reconstruction of the political base that had been defeated in the war and became the force behind theLiberal Democratic Party. On the congressional elections of 1894 he was elected deputy for "La Serena, Elqui and Coquimbo" (1894–1897) and was reelected for the same region (1897–1900). On November 19, 1901, PresidentGermán Riesco appointed himMinister of Justice and Public Instruction, position he held until November 20, 1902, and laterMinister of the Interior from March 18, 1905 to August 1, 1905.
In 1906, his sonErnesto was murdered inBelgium, prompting a celebrated case that came to define diplomatic privileges and immunities for the retinue and families of diplomatic staff.
PresidentPedro Montt appointed himMinister of Foreign Affairs, Cult and Colonization on August 29, 1908, a position he held until June 15, 1909. In 1909, he was elected a Senator for "Coquimbo" (1909–1915), but he died inSantiago before the end of his term in 1911 at the age of 61.
Balmaceda married Ana Bello Codesido, and together they had seven children.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Joaquín Fernández | Minister of Justice and Public Instruction 1901-1902 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior 1905 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cult and Colonization 1908-1909 | Succeeded by |