Francisco Freire Caldera (1839 – July 30, 1900) 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 ...

an lawyer, farmer and politician.

Early life

Francisco was born in Santiago in 1839, the son of Manuela Caldera Mascaiano and Gen.

Ramón Freire Serrano Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

, one of the principal leaders of the liberal '' Pipiolo'' movement who served as the Chilean head of state on of several occasions before the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation ( es, Guerra de la Confederación) was a military confrontation waged by Chile, along with Peruvian dissidents, and the Argentine Confederation against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation between 1836 and 1839. As ...

. He studied at the

National Institute National Institute may refer to: * National Institute on Aging, United States (U.S.) * National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. * National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. * Belgranian National Institute, Argentina * San Martín National Ins ...

and the

University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

before being sworn in as a lawyer on December 22, 1863.

Career

He served as deputy for

Illapel Illapel () is a Chilean city, which is the capital of the Choapa Province, Coquimbo Region. It lies along the Illapel River and marks the country's narrowest point along a parallel (94 km). It is located to the east of Los Vilos. Administrat ...

from 1882 to 1885, serving on the Qualification Commissions of Powers and Budget. He was a substitute senator for

Tarapacá San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in Chile. History The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer Diego d ...

from 1885 to 1891, but was disqualified for having accepted an administrative position. In 1886, he was appointed Mayor of

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 ...

, which he resigned in the same year to hold the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Colonization from October 30, 1886 to June 28, 1887. From March 11, 1887 to March 26, 1887, he served as Deputy Minister of Justice, Public Instruction and Worship. He also held the position of Mayor of

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

. In 1898 he occupied the Intendancy of Tarapacá and the following year, again that of Santiago.

Personal life

He married Enriqueta Valdés Solar, with whom he had six children: Elisa, Carolina, Alfonso, Isabel, Julia and María. Francisco died on July 30, 1900.

Descendants

Through his daughter Carolina Freire Valdés, he was a grandfather of diplomat Carmen Vial Freire Dows.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freire, Francisco 1839 births 1900 deaths Foreign ministers of Chile Chilean Ministers of Justice Members of the Senate of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Liberal Party (Chile, 1849) politicians