Manuel Ossa Ruiz (born

Freirina Freirina is a Chilean commune and town in Huasco Province, Atacama Region. The commune spans an area of . Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, Freirina had 5,666 inhabitants; of these, 3,469 (61.2%) liv ...

, 24 September 1854 – died

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

, 5 September 1929), was a Chilean businessman and liberal politician. He was the son of José Santos Ossa Vega and Melchora Ruiz Correa. He was married to Blanca Sainte-Marie Echazarreta.

Business career

He studied his first letters in the city of Cobija, then in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. In 1867 he was sent to Spain and England, where he studied industrial engineering techniques. On his return, his father asked him to dedicate himself to the family's agricultural activities, on his farm '' "El Porvenir" '' in Parral. Here he carried out engineering projects such as the construction of the Longaví irrigation canal and did social and charitable work, such as the construction of the Parral hospital, a workers' club, and a night school. In 1876 he returned north and after an exploration phase decided to invest in mineral extraction in Caracoles. He went to Peru (1877), where he invested in the Taltal nitrate company and operated the silver mines in

Caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

. In Tocopilla he built the Toco railway. In the south, he built the railway from Osorno to Pichiropulli. But without a doubt, one of his most important works was the construction of the Arica–La Paz railway, a public project commissioned by the government of Chile.

Parliamentary career

He was a member of the

Liberal Party of Chile The Liberal Party (''Partido Liberal'') of Chile was a Chilean political party created by a faction of pipiolos in 1849. After the conservative victory in the Chilean Civil War of 1829 the liberals became the principal opposition party to the Con ...

. He was elected

Senator 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 ...

by Linares (1897–1903). He was a member of the permanent Finance and Industry Commission, which in August 1900 was renamed the Industry and Public Works Commission. During his parliamentary work he was concerned with improving the conditions of workers, especially of the working class. He contributed to the foundation of other railroads in the plains and to new towns in different parts of the national territory; in Valparaíso he also founded a night school for workers.

Bibliography

* ''Biografías de Chilenos: Miembros de los Poderes Ejecutivos, Legislativo y Judicial (1876–1973)'';

Armando de Ramón José Armando de Ramón Folch (February 6, 1927 - February 29, 2004) was a Chilean historian mostly known for his study of urban history. In 1954 de Ramón joined the newly founded Instituto de Investigacions Históricas of the Pontifical Catholi ...

Folch; Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, 1999, volumen 2 (in Spanish).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ossa Ruiz, Manuel Chilean businesspeople Chilean politicians 1854 births 1929 deaths