Domingo Santa María
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| Domingo Santa María | |
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10th President of Chile
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| In office September 18, 1881 – September 18, 1886 |
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| Preceded by | Aníbal Pinto |
| Succeeded by | José Manuel Balmaceda |
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| Born | August 14, 1825 Santiago, Chile |
| Died | July 18, 1889 Santiago, Chile |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Emilia Márquez de la Plata Guzmán |
Domingo Santa María González (August 14, 1825 - July 18, 1889) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1881 and 1886.
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[edit] Early life
He was born in Santiago de Chile, the son of Luis José Santa María González and Ana Josefa González Morandé. He completed his early studies in the Instituto Nacional, and graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Chile in 1847. Soon after, he became a clerk at the Justice Ministry, where he rose to become Oficial Mayor. At the same time, he became the secretary of the Sociedad del Orden (Society for Public Order), a liberal club opposed to the conservative party.
[edit] Political career
At the age of 23, he became Intendant of Colchagua. His active intervention in rigging the elections in favor of the conservatives made him into the principal target of the opposition. Two years later, he was asked to resign by his superiors. His refusal sparked his destitution. At that point, he became opposition and joined the liberal party, participating actively in the 1851 revolution. In 1856, during the clash between the government and the church due to the “verger problem” he joined the opposition to the church, a position that would eventually carry to the extreme during his administration.
In 1858, he was elected to the lower house of congress and a year later had to exile himself to Europe due to the 1859 revolution. After his return, he remained aloof from politics. He became an attorney of the Appelate Court of Santiago. During the Chincha Islands War, he became the champion of Americanism and his articles made him a public figure. After the war, he returned to politics as member of the lower house, raising to become vice-president of the chamber. He was also a diplomat and was named full member of the Appelate Court and a State Councillor. In March 1879, he was elected senator. When the War of the Pacific broke out, he became minister of foreign affairs and soon after, interior minister. From that position, he had almost total control over the direction of the war and as such became one of the main people responsible for the victory.
[edit] Administration
At this point in his career, he became the natural heir to President Pinto, and, even though General Manuel Baquedano was touted as a candidate also, his resignation left him as the consensus candidate. He was elected president in 1881.
During his administration, he continued the War of the Pacific to its end. His managed to capture of Lima and forced Peru to sign the treaty of Ancon (October 29, 1883) that put an end to the war. He also signed the armistice with Bolivia, that was the basis for the future peace treaty of 1904.
In the domestic front, his main fight was against the power of the Catholic Church. He forced through congress the laws of civil marriage, civil registry and public cementeries, all of which were formerly functions in the hands of the Church. His actions led to a break in diplomatic relations with Rome. He also put an end to the Pacification of the Araucanía, incorporating the area into the territory of Chile. He centralized the railroads into a state holding, inaugurated the first telephonic line between Santiago and Concepcion, and introduced the first public electric luminaries.
[edit] Later life
His popularity assured the election of his protegé and political heir, José Manuel Balmaceda. After he stepped down, he continued his work as president of the Chilean Senate. He died of a heart attack on July 18, 1889.
| Preceded by: Aníbal Pinto |
President of Chile 1881-1886 |
Succeeded by: José Manuel Balmaceda |
| Preceded by: Miguel Luis Amunátegui |
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Colonization 1879-1880 |
Succeeded by: Melquiades Valderrama |
| Presidents of Chile |  |
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| Blanco Encalada | Freire | Pinto Díaz | Prieto | Bulnes | Montt Torres | Pérez | Errázuriz Zañartu | Pinto Garmendia | Santa María | Balmaceda | Montt Álvarez | Errázuriz Echaurren | Riesco | Montt Montt | Barros Luco | Sanfuentes | Alessandri Palma | Figueroa | Ibáñez del Campo | Montero | Aguirre Cerda | Ríos | González Videla | Alessandri Rodríguez | Frei Montalva | Allende | Pinochet | Aylwin | Frei Ruiz-Tagle | Lagos | Bachelet | ||||
