Vice Admiral Patricio Carvajal Prado (16 July 1916 – 15 July 1994), 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 ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, several times Minister and one of the principal leaders of the

1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état () was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president of Chile Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition government. Allende, who has been described as the first Marxist ...

that ousted President

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...

Military career

He joined the navy in 1931, where he was a classmate of future Admiral

José Toribio Merino José Toribio Merino Castro (December 14, 1915 – August 30, 1996) was an admiral of the Chilean Navy who was one of the principal leaders of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, along with General Augusto Pinochet of the Army, General Gustavo L ...

, and together they were commissioned as ensigns in 1935. In 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant; in 1950, to captain and in 1955, to commander. Carvajal was an artillery specialist. In 1958, he was commissioned to study anti-submarine warfare. In 1960, was the commander of the training-ship ''Esmeralda''. In 1966, was designed as Naval Attache to London. Since 1967, he was the Navy Chief of Staff. In 1973, he was the Armed Forces General Chief of Staff.

Cabinet minister

Following the coup, he was appointed as

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

in 1973 and again from 1983 to 1990. He was also Chilean

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 1974 to 1978. Carvajal committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

after a long bout with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

.Staff report (July 16, 1994). Patricio Carvajal, Ex-Chile Official, 76. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

References

External links

*Christian, Shirley (July 14, 1986
Helms, In Chile, Denounces U.S. Envoy.
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List of Defense Ministers of Chile
1916 births 1994 deaths Arturo Prat Naval Academy alumni Foreign ministers of Chile Ministers of defense of Chile Chilean admirals Politicians from Santiago, Chile Suicides by firearm in Chile Naval attachés 20th-century Chilean Navy personnel Independent Democratic Union politicians Chilean anti-communists {{chile-politician-stub