Enrique Víctor Aquiles Balmaceda Toro (3 March 1878 – 4 January 1962) 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 ...

an politician,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and son of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

José Manuel Balmaceda José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández (; July 19, 1840 – September 19, 1891) served as the 10th President of Chile from September 18, 1886, to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile. While h ...

. He was of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

descent and a member of the

Balmaceda family The Balmaceda family of Chile became politically influential during the 19th century, and played a very significant role in Chilean politics. The Balmaceda family is of Basque people, Basque descent. They are members of the Castilian-Basque aristo ...

. Balmaceda was born 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 ...

in 1878, the seventh of eight children born to José Manuel Balmaceda Fernández and Emilia de Toro Herrera. He was baptised Enrique Víctor Aquiles. His mother was the granddaughter of

Mateo de Toro Zambrano, 1st Count of La Conquista Mateo de Toro Zambrano y Ureta, 1st Count of La Conquista (September 20, 1727c:File:Registro del bautismo de Mateo de Toro-Zambrano.jpg, Partida de bautismo de Mateo de Toro-Zambrano y Ureta – February 26, 1811), was a prominent Spanish militar ...

. Five of his siblings lived to adulthood. His father committed suicide in 1891, when Enrique was 13 years old. Balmaceda started his political career by joining the

Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

and was promptly elected deputy for "Itata" (1906–1909) in a 1907

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to replace deputy Alberto Sanfuentes who had died, but lost his bid for reelection. In the congressional elections of 1918, he was elected deputy for "Castro" (1918–1921) and was reelected for the same region (1921–1924). On 12 May 1921, President

Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to ...

appointed him Minister of War and Navy, position he held until 16 August 1921. During the first administration of President Carlos Ibáñez he was appointed

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

from 23 May 1927 to 24 February 1928; he concurrently served as interim Minister of Public Works and of Justice. During the second administration of President Ibáñez, he was appointed Ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Balmaceda died in Santiago, in 1962, two months shy of his 84th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balmaceda, Enrique 1878 births 1962 deaths Politicians from Santiago, Chile Balmaceda family Chilean people of Basque descent Liberal Democratic Party (Chile, 1893) politicians Ministers of defense of Chile Ministers of health of Chile Ministers of the interior of Chile Ministers of justice of Chile Ministers of public works of Chile Deputies of the XXVIII Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Deputies of the XXXII Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Deputies of the XXXIII Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Ambassadors of Chile to the United Kingdom