Antonio Varas de la Barra (June 13, 1817 – June 5, 1886) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

. He began his political career as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, but was later a member of the National Party, of which he was one of the founders in 1857. He served several times as minister. Antonio Varas was born in Cauquenes, the son of Miguel Varas Vallejo and of Agustina de la Barra Alarcón. Because his father was a royalist supporter, after independence all the family properties were confiscated, leaving them in the most complete destitution. Thanks to his brother José Miguel, he was able to complete his studies at the Instituto Nacional, where he met and befriended

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. He was the first civilian to serve a full term as Presi ...

and Buonaventura Cousiño, both of whom were his teachers. In time he became, first, philosophy teacher, later vice-principal and finally principal of that institute. During his tenure, he substantially improved the quality of education offered at that, the principal school in the country. He started his political career when elected deputy for

Chillán Chillán () is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Ñuble Region, Diguillín Province, Chile, located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the center of the country. It has been the capital of the new Ñuble Region since ...

in 1842. He was later elected deputy for Cauquenes in 1846, and for Curicó in 1852. Varas was named Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs by President

Manuel Bulnes Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure who was President of Chile from 1841 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile between 1841 and 1851. At the ...

, a position he retained under President

. During that administration, he was also Minister of Justice, Cult and Public Instruction, Minister of the Treasury and Minister of War and Navy. In 1858 was elected deputy for

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an important ...

and later for Cauquenes again. In 1864 was elected deputy for Santiago, in 1867 for Elqui and in 1873 for Talca. In 1876 was elected senator for Talca, in 1879 for Coquimbo and reelected for the same in 1882, position he held until his death. He was elected

President of the Senate of Chile The president of the Senate of Chile is the presiding officer of the Senate of Chile. The position comes after the Ministers of State in the line of succession of the President of Chile in case of temporary incapacitation or vacancy, according t ...

in 1882. Varas died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, at the age of 69. The city of

Puerto Varas Puerto Varas, also known as "La Ciudad De Las Rosas" or “The City Of Roses”, is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region ...

is named after him.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varas, Antonio 1817 births 1886 deaths People from Cauquenes Chilean people of Spanish descent Conservative Party (Chile) politicians National Party (Chile, 1857) politicians Ministers of justice of Chile Ministers of the interior of Chile Presidents of the Senate of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera alumni