Jorge Silva Somarriva (7 March 1871 – 1963) was a Chilean farmer and politician affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies and as Minister of Finance in the first cabinet of President Emiliano Figueroa.
Early life Silva was born in Santiago on 7 March 1871, the son of Senator Ignacio Silva Ureta and Josefina Somarriva Berganza. He attended the Instituto Nacional and subsequently studied law at the University of Chile. Following the 1891 Chilean Civil War, he travelled to France, where he pursued studies in economics.
From 1891, Silva was involved in agricultural activities in Aconcagua Province, the Department of Maipo, and on his father's estate in the Alicahue Valley.
In 1924, he married Delia Matte Amunátegui, daughter of Conservative politician and former president of the Senate Ricardo Matte Pérez.
Political career Silva participated in presidential electoral campaigns as an elector for Vicente Reyes Palazuelos, Federico Errázuriz Echaurren, Germán Riesco, and Fernando Lazcano Echaurren, representing the departments of Petorca, La Ligua, Mulchén, and San Felipe, respectively. He later served several terms as a municipal councillor in La Ligua.
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Silva was initially elected to the Chamber of Deputies for La Ligua in the 1900 parliamentary election. According to his parliamentary biography, however, political arrangements prevented him from taking the seat.
In the 1912 parliamentary election, Silva stood unopposed for Petorca and La Ligua after local political leaders in La Ligua and Cabildo offered him the candidacy. He served during the 1912–1915 legislative term and was a member of the Permanent Finance Committee, taking part in parliamentary debates on economic matters.
After a period outside Congress, Silva returned to the Chamber following the 1918 parliamentary election, representing Rancagua, Cachapoal and Maipo for the 1918–1921 term. He served on the Permanent Finance Committee and as a substitute member of the Permanent Budget Committee. He was re-elected for the same constituency in 1921 and served until 1924, again sitting on the Finance Committee.
Within the Chamber, Silva was a member of his party's parliamentary committee. He also served on the Special Committee on Banking Legislation, the joint committee responsible for reviewing electoral legislation and contested decrees, and the committee tasked with revising customs tariffs and customs legislation.
In 1913, Silva introduced legislation proposing the establishment of a privileged bank. He also submitted measures concerning the procedures used to assess property for taxation and the creation of an office dealing with bills of exchange, intended to curb financial speculation. His parliamentary activity also addressed public works and services in the constituencies he represented, including water-supply infrastructure in La Ligua and Cabildo and improvements to the hospital in La Ligua.
Silva repeatedly called for the creation of a special parliamentary committee to examine pending legislation concerning colonization, workers' insurance, the minimum wage, and the eight-hour working day.Donoso, Ricardo. Alessandri, agitador y demoledor: Cincuenta años de historia política de Chile. FCE, 1952. Vol. 1, p. 217.
He also opposed proposals that would have placed domestic and foreign companies under identical regulatory treatment, arguing that Chilean enterprises should be distinguished from foreign-owned companies.Couyoumdjian, Ricardo. Chile y Gran Bretaña. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello, 2003, p. 46. Silva also opposed a decree concerning the Altos Hornos de Corral promoted during the tenure of minister Enrique Zañartu Prieto.
Minister of Finance In early 1925, Silva participated in the commission responsible for establishing the Central Bank of Chile. On 23 December 1925, President Emiliano Figueroa appointed him Minister of Finance.
During his tenure, Silva signed Supreme Decree No. 2,855 of 28 December 1925, which approved the Central Bank's first statutes. He subsequently opposed the transfer of the bank's gold reserves to London, publicly setting out his objections in several articles published in El Diario Ilustrado. The reserves were nevertheless transferred to London.Edwards Bello, Joaquín. Historia de bancos, Bancos con historia. Ediciones la Ciudad, 1983, p. 46.
Silva eventually came into conflict with the Figueroa administration over economic policy and the growing political influence of Minister of War Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. He resigned as Minister of Finance on 2 September 1926. According to his parliamentary biography, his resignation was also connected with disagreements over the government's policy towards state involvement in the mining sector.
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