José Ignacio Zenteno del Pozo y Silva (July 28, 1786 – July 16, 1847), 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 soldier, politician and hero of the Chilean War of Independence. Zenteno was born 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 ...

, the son of Antonio Zenteno y Bustamante and of Victoria del Pozo y Silva. He completed his studies at the Colegio Carolino, and took part in the movement for independence from the very beginning. In 1814, he became the secretary of Supreme Director

Francisco de la Lastra General Francisco de la Lastra y de la Sotta (; October 4, 1777 – May 13, 1852) was a Chilean military officer and the first Supreme Director of Chile (1814). Biography He was born in Santiago de Chile, the son of Antonio de la Lastra Cor ...

, and was forced after the defeat of

Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sant ...

, together with other patriots, to emigrate to Mendoza,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, where, soon after his arrival, he was appointed secretary of the treasury of that province. There he befriended General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

, of whom became one of his principal assessors. He formed part of the liberating army of Chile, and made the campaigns of 1817 and 1818, taking part in the battles of Cancha Rayada and Maipu. He was named Governor 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 ...

and when General

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Althou ...

was elected Supreme Director, he appointed Zenteno as Secretary of War and Navy where he distinguished himself by his activity. The government entrusted him with the formation of the

First Chilean Navy Squadron The First Chilean Navy Squadron was the heterogeneous naval force that terminated Spanish colonial rule in the Pacific and protagonized the most important naval actions of in the Latin American wars of independence. The Chilean revolutionary gover ...

, and he laid the foundation of the Chilean Navy which, under Admiral Lord Cochrane, obtained such glorious results. He created the first course of ship-ensigns. In 1822, after retiring from the ministry of war, he was appointed political and military governor of Valparaiso, and promoted to brigadier. In 1831 he was appointed inspector-general of the army, and from 1833 till 1846 he filled several important offices in the war department, and was also a member of the supreme council of war, the Society of agriculture, and was several times elected to congress representing Santiago and later, Victoria, and serving as vice-president of the chamber of deputies. He was one of the founders and first editor of the ''

El Mercurio ''El Mercurio'' (known online as ''El Mercurio On-Line'', ''EMOL'') is a Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's newspaper of record and it is considered the oldest daily in t ...

'' of

, taught law at the

Universidad de 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.

and was a member of the martial court (military tribunal). He died in Santiago at the age of 61.

External links

Official biography
1786 births 1847 deaths People from Santiago Chilean Ministers of Defense Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Chilean Army generals Chilean Navy officers People of the Chilean War of Independence Chilean Navy personnel of the Spanish American wars of independence 19th-century Chilean Navy personnel {{Chile-mil-bio-stub