Juana Ross Edwards (August 2, 1830 – June 25, 1913) was a Chilean philanthropist. She built and maintained three hospitals, six nursing homes, a hospice, an orphanage, and countless schools.Caridad cristiana
Memoria Chilena. Dirección de bibliotecas, archivos y museos de Chile. (in Spanish)

Early life

Juana Ross Edwards was born in

La Serena, Chile La Serena () is a city and commune in northern Chile, capital of the Coquimbo Region. Founded in 1544, it is the country's second oldest city after the national capital, Santiago. As of 2012, it had a communal population of roughly 200,000, and ...

, August 2, 1830. She was the daughter of Scottish Consul David Ross Gillespie and Carmen Edwards Ossandón.Revista Icarito. Enciclopedia virtual. Colección de biografías
Juana Ross Edwards
(in Spanish) Raised within the

Edwards family The Edwards family of Chile is of Welsh origin. They became financially and politically influential during the 19th century. They have played and still play a significant role in Chilean politics, especially as owners of its most influential news ...

, she spent her childhood with her nine siblings, among whom was Agustín Ross Edwards, politician and diplomat, who would be her executor. Biografía de Chile
Juana Ross Edwards: 1830-1913
(in Spanish)

Marriage and children

On April 6, 1851 he married Agustín Edwards Ossandón, her uncle and founder of the Banco Edwards Citi, with whom she had seven children: Juan, Juana, Adela, Arturo, Gustavo, Agustín, Ricardo and Arturo Maximiano, all of whom died before her. Ross Edwards and her husband believed saving was a virtue. Being the richest man in Chile, Edwards Ossandón was the only one of the Chilean millionaires of the time who did not build a palace 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 ...

, nor acquire a great hacienda, or take a pleasure trip to Europe.Ricardo Nazer Ahumada
LA FORTUNA DE AGUSTIN EDWARDS OSSANDON: 1815-1878
Historia (Santiago) ISSN 0717-7194 versión on-line. (in Spanish)

Charity

Ross Edwards was a benefactor of countless charities, including the founding of hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, schools and churches, dedicating her entire life to this work. The

Encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...

Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...

'' of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

, published in 1891, had a profound effect on Ross Edwards, and prompted her to create works for the benefit of the working world. For example, in

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 ...

, she created the Unión Social de Orden y Trabajo (Social Union of Order and Work), and in 1898, she built a complex of 56 apartments for workers, which included an interior bathroom and additional rooms.Centro de Documentación del Instituto de la Vivienda de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Chil
Historia de la Pobreza en Chile
(in Spanish)

In 1886, she bought the land in Valparaíso where the Hospital San Agustín would be built, later renamed Hospital Enrique Deformes.Ciudad de Valparaíso
Archivo del Hospital Carlos Van Buren
(in Spanish) In this hospital, she established the first pediatric service of Valparaíso, on April 12, 1894; later, its work was continued at the Hospital Carlos van Buren.Laboratorio Saval. Noticias
Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital Carlos van Buren cumple 114 años
(in Spanish)
El Mercurio de Valparaíso, 22 October 2006. (in Spanish)Valparaíso Chile. Edificios públicos

(in Spanish) It also contributed large sums of money for its reconstruction, after the 1906 earthquake. In La Serena, her hometown, she contributed funds for the construction of the cloister and chapel of Divina Providencia, and she also donated the organ that is still preserved in the cathedral. She died in Valparaíso, on June 25, 1913. She bequeathed the sum of ten million pesos to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Iacobi in Chile) is one of the five Latin Metropolitan sees of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile. Ecclesiastical province Its Suffragan sees are: * Roman Catholic D ...

for the construction and repair of churches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross Edwards, Juana 1830 births 1913 deaths Chilean philanthropists People from La Serena Women founders