Luis Barros Borgoño (; March 26, 1858 – July 26, 1943) was a Chilean politician who served as Vice President of Chile in 1925.
Born in Santiago, he was the son of Manuel Barros Arana and Eugenia Borgoño Vergara. He graduated as a lawyer in 1880, held a position in the Supreme Court in 1884, was Minister of War and Navy on three occasions (1890, 1892 and 1895–96), was Minister of Foreign Affairs twice (1894 and 1918) and Finance Minister in 1901.
As the conservative candidate in the Chilean presidential election of 1920, he faced the liberal Arturo Alessandri and was defeated by a very slim margin. When Alessandri resigned again on October 1, 1925 Vice President Barros became the Acting President though he technically remained Vice-President until December 23, 1925, when Emiliano Figueroa took the office."President of Chile Resigns His Post— Borgono Takes the Place of Alessandri", The Boston Globe, October 1, 1925, p.1
During his brief presidency, a decree was introduced on October the 17th 1925 which sought to encourage productive, distributive, and credit cooperative societies; regarding them as legal persons while also according numerous facilities to them.Bulletin of the Pan American Union Volume 62 By Pan American Union, ‘HISTORICAL SURVEY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LABOR LEGISLATION IN LATIN AMERICA (PART II)’ BY MOISÉS POBLETE, 1928, P.700
Barros was also an author who focused on history. He wrote several volumes including The Muzzi Mission, a Life of Admiral Patricio Lynch and Mission in the Plata, in which he defended his uncle, Diego Barros and his participation in the negotiations with Argentina over Patagonia.
Biography
Early life and education Barros was born in Santiago on 26 March 1858, the son of Manuel Barros Arana and Eugenia Borgoño Vergara. He was a nephew of the historian and intellectual Diego Barros Arana. He studied law at the University of Chile, graduating in 1880.
Public career Barros taught history at the Instituto Nacional, as well as criminal and civil law. He served as dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities and taught documentary history at the Instituto Pedagógico. He was also president of the Council of Fine Arts and a member of the Council of Public Instruction. In 1884, he served as a prosecutor and rapporteur of the Supreme Court of Chile. He also founded several public funds and institutions, including those related to agriculture, workers' insurance and public employees.
In politics, Barros served as president of the Liberal Party. He was secretary to General Manuel Baquedano when President José Manuel Balmaceda relinquished control of the government in 1891 during the Chilean Civil War of 1891. Barros served as Minister of War and Navy under Balmaceda from 1889 to 1890, under Baquedano in 1891, and under President Jorge Montt in 1892 and from 1895 to 1896. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Montt in 1894.
During the administration of Germán Riesco, Barros served as Minister of Finance in 1901, and under Juan Luis Sanfuentes he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1918. He also carried out diplomatic duties in Argentina and was a member of the Permanent Court of International Justice.
Barros was nominated as a candidate in the 1920 Chilean presidential election by the Liberal-Unionist and Conservative sectors. He faced Arturo Alessandri, the Liberal Alliance candidate known as the Lion of Tarapacá. Some Conservatives were cautious in supporting Barros because, although he represented the National Union, he came from a family associated with freethinking liberalism. The election was extremely close: Barros received more votes in the popular tally, while Alessandri secured more electors.
Following Alessandri's resignation in 1925, Barros assumed the vice presidency, serving for more than two months until Emiliano Figueroa took office on 23 December of that year. He later served as Chilean ambassador to Argentina from 1936 to 1938, during Alessandri's second administration.
Written works Alongside his political career, Barros was an author of several works dealing primarily with historical and international affairs. His works include:
Curso de historia general Historia de la Misión Muzi La Liga de las Naciones Los tratados de Bolivia Vida del Almirante Lynch Misión Barros Arana en La Plata (a work in which he defended the role of his uncle, Diego Barros Arana, in negotiations with Argentina) La Cuestión del Pacífico y Las Nuevas Orientaciones de Bolivia (1922) El Jeneral José Manuel Borgoño (1910)
Honours and decorations
Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain), 30 August 1896.
Cabinet
References