Juana Ross Edwards (August 2, 1830 – June 25, 1913) was a Chilean philanthropist. She built and maintained three hospitals, six nursing homes, a hospice, an orphanage, and countless schools.Caridad cristiana
Memoria Chilena. Dirección de bibliotecas, archivos y museos de Chile. (in Spanish)

Early life

Juana Ross Edwards was born in

La Serena, Chile La Serena () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, capital of the Coquimbo Region. Founded in 1544, it is the country's second oldest city after the national capital, Santiago. As of 2012, it had a ...

, August 2, 1830. She was the daughter of Scottish Consul David Ross Gillespie and Carmen Edwards Ossandón.Revista Icarito. Enciclopedia virtual. Colección de biografías
Juana Ross Edwards
(in Spanish) Raised within the

Edwards family The Edwards family of Chile is of Welsh people, Welsh origin. They became financially and politically influential during the 19th century. They have played and still play a significant role in Chilean politics, especially as owners of its most inf ...

, she spent her childhood with her nine siblings, among whom was Agustín Ross Edwards, politician and diplomat, who would be her executor. Biografía de Chile
Juana Ross Edwards: 1830-1913
(in Spanish)

Marriage and children

On April 6, 1851 he married Agustín Edwards Ossandón, her uncle and founder of the Banco Edwards Citi, with whom she had seven children: Juan, Juana, Adela, Arturo, Gustavo, Agustín, Ricardo and Arturo Maximiano, all of whom died before her. Ross Edwards and her husband believed saving was a virtue. Being the richest man in Chile, Edwards Ossandón was the only one of the Chilean millionaires of the time who did not build a palace 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 ...

, nor acquire a great hacienda, or take a pleasure trip to Europe.Ricardo Nazer Ahumada
LA FORTUNA DE AGUSTIN EDWARDS OSSANDON: 1815-1878
Historia (Santiago) ISSN 0717-7194 versión on-line. (in Spanish)

Charity

Ross Edwards was a benefactor of countless charities, including the founding of hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, schools and churches, dedicating her entire life to this work. The

Encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'', or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, passed to all Catholic patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops, which addressed the condi ...

'' of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

, published in 1891, had a profound effect on Ross Edwards, and prompted her to create works for the benefit of the working world. For example, in

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, she created the Unión Social de Orden y Trabajo (Social Union of Order and Work), and in 1898, she built a complex of 56 apartments for workers, which included an interior bathroom and additional rooms.Centro de Documentación del Instituto de la Vivienda de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Chil
Historia de la Pobreza en Chile
(in Spanish) In 1886, she bought the land in Valparaíso where the Hospital San Agustín would be built, later renamed Hospital Enrique Deformes.Ciudad de Valparaíso
Archivo del Hospital Carlos Van Buren
(in Spanish) In this hospital, she established the first pediatric service of Valparaíso, on April 12, 1894; later, its work was continued at the Hospital Carlos van Buren.Laboratorio Saval. Noticias
Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital Carlos van Buren cumple 114 años
(in Spanish)
El Mercurio de Valparaíso, 22 October 2006. (in Spanish)Valparaíso Chile. Edificios públicos

(in Spanish) It also contributed large sums of money for its reconstruction, after the 1906 earthquake. In La Serena, her hometown, she contributed funds for the construction of the cloister and chapel of Divina Providencia, and she also donated the organ that is still preserved in the cathedral. She died in Valparaíso, on June 25, 1913. She bequeathed the sum of ten million pesos to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile () is one of the five Latin metropolitan sees of the Catholic Church in Chile. Ecclesiastical province Its Suffragan sees are: * Roman Catholic Diocese of Linares * Roman Catholic Diocese of M ...

for the construction and repair of churches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross Edwards, Juana 1830 births 1913 deaths Chilean philanthropists Chilean women philanthropists People from La Serena Women founders