Antonio Varas de la Barra (June 13, 1817 – June 5, 1886) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He began his political career as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, but was later a member of the National Party, of which he was one of the founders in 1857. He served several times as minister. Antonio Varas was born in

Cauquenes Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region. History According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community o ...

, the son of Miguel Varas Vallejo and of Agustina de la Barra Alarcón. Because his father was a royalist supporter, after independence all the family properties were confiscated, leaving them in the most complete destitution. Thanks to his brother José Miguel, he was able to complete his studies at the Instituto Nacional, where he met and befriended

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. Biography Montt was born in Petorca, Valparaíso R ...

and Buonaventura Cousiño, both of whom were his teachers. In time he became, first, philosophy teacher, later vice-principal and finally principal of that institute. During his tenure, he substantially improved the quality of education offered at that, the principal school in the country. He started his political career when elected

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

for

Chillán Chillán () is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...

in 1842. He was later elected deputy for Cauquenes in 1846, and for Curicó in 1852. Varas was named Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs by President

Manuel Bulnes Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile, from 1841 to 1846 and from 1846 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile bet ...

, a position he retained under President

. During that administration, he was also Minister of Justice, Cult and Public Instruction, Minister of the Treasury and Minister of War and Navy. In 1858 was elected deputy for

Talca Talca () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the ...

and later for Cauquenes again. In 1864 was elected deputy for Santiago, in 1867 for Elqui and in 1873 for Talca. In 1876 was elected senator for Talca, in 1879 for Coquimbo and reelected for the same in 1882, position he held until his death. He was elected

President of the Senate of Chile The president of the Senate of Chile is the presiding officer of the Senate of Chile. The position comes after the Ministers of State in the line of succession of the President of Chile in case of temporary incapacitation or vacancy, according to ...

in 1882. Varas died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, at the age of 69. The city of

Puerto Varas Puerto Varas, also known as "La ciudad de las rosas" or “the city of roses”, is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region ...

is named after him.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varas, Antonio 1817 births 1886 deaths People from Cauquenes Chilean people of Spanish descent Conservative Party (Chile) politicians National Party (Chile, 1857) politicians Chilean Ministers of Justice Chilean Ministers of the Interior Presidents of the Senate of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera alumni