Alejandro Matías Luis Ignacio Reyes Cotapos (24 February 1825 – 8 January 1884) was a Chilean lawyer and politician.

Life and career

Reyes was born in Santiago to Ignacio de Reyes Saravia and Micaela Pérez Cotapos de la Lastra. He married twice, first to Hortensia Lavalle Correas, then Fanny Ovalle Vicuña. Reyes earned a degree in law from the University of Chile in 1845. Throughout his political career, Reyes remained allied with Manuel Montt and

Antonio Varas Antonio Varas de la Barra (June 13, 1817 – June 5, 1886) was a Chilean political figure. He began his political career as a Conservative, but was later a member of the National Party, of which he was one of the founders in 1857. He served ...

, whose supporters formally established the National Party in 1857. In 1849, Reyes was named an alternate member of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

from Caupolicán, but never took office. He began working for the Santiago municipal government in 1851. Reyes won his first parliamentary election the next year, taking a seat in the Chamber of Deputies as a representative of Los Ángeles and Yungay. He was reelected in 1855 from San Fernando and again in 1858, from Melipilla and La Victoria, a district of Santiago. As a legislator, Reyes served on the industry, treasury, and war committees. Upon his return from exile in Europe in 1862, Reyes became a diplomat and helped reach treaties with Ecuador and Costa Rica. Later, Reyes aided in the drafting of the legal codes regulating commerce, civil actions, and criminal activity. He was Minister of Finance between 1864 and 1869. From 1868 to 1870, Reyes served as concurrently as

interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

and foreign minister. Reyes also returned to the Chamber of Deputies, representing Itata between 1863 and 1867. After his term ended, Reyes became a judge on the Santiago Appeals Court. He was appointed to the

Supreme Court of Chile The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court in Chile. It also administers the lower courts in the nation. It is located in the capital Santiago. In the Chilean system, the court lacks the broader power of judicial review—it cannot set bindin ...

in 1870, and concurrently took office as a senator from Curicó. Reyes stepped down from the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1882, and relinquished his judgeship in 1883, before dying in Santiago on 8 January 1884. Outside of politics, Reyes nurtured an interest in winemaking, and started a vineyard in Buin.

References

* ''Diccionario Histórico y Biográfico de Chile''; Fernando Castillo Infante, Lía Cortés y Jordi Fuentes; Editorial Zig-Zag, Santiago de Chile, 1996, page 440.
Alejandro Matías Luis Ignacio Reyes Cotapos
Biblioteca Nacional de Chile {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Alejandro 1825 births 1884 deaths Politicians from Santiago Chief justices National Party (Chile, 1857) politicians Members of the Senate of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile University of Chile alumni Supreme Court of Chile members 19th-century Chilean judges