Division General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina (December 24, 1873 – September 26, 1944) 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 military officer and member of the Government Junta of

in 1925.

Early life

Dartnell was born in the city of Linares in 1873, the son of Robert Loder Dartnell and of Carmen Encina Ibáñez. He studied engineering 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.

, specializing in military engineering. In 1885 he was accepted as an

Officer Cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

to the Military Academy, where he studied until 1891. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on January 15, 1891. During the

1891 Chilean Civil War The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The war ...

, Dartnell served with the corps of military engineers, and joined the ranks of the Congressional Army. He participated in the battles of Concón and Placilla. That same year he was promoted to Lieutenant and then Captain. After the end of the war, he studied civil engineering at the University of Chile. With the great reform of the Chilean Army, he was sent to specialize in Europe. He travelled to Belgium, Germany and Spain between 1897 and 1899. In January 1900, he was promoted to Major, and commander of military engineers. Three years later he was a commander already. In 1905 he was destined to the navy to help design the military fortifications of the port of Talcahuano. In 1910 he was sent again to Europe, this time as a student to the Ècole de Guerre, in Paris, where he studied until 1912. During his stay in France, he took an active interest in the French Air Service, and prepared a report which was the basis for the creation of the Chilean Military Air Force in 1913. As a Colonel, in 1914, he was commander of telecommunications and Aeronautical Inspector. In 1919 he became General Director of the

Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...

. That same year he was promoted to Brigade General. As such he was General Commander of the II, III and IV Divisions, between 1920 and 1924. On November 28, 1924 was promoted to Army Inspector General.

Political career

On January 23, 1925, he was handed the executive power by a group of young officers that deposed the ''September Junta'', but he declined to hold on to the power alone, and chose to become instead just one of the members of the ''January Junta'' that took over the government on January 27. This junta ruled until March 20, when President

Arturo Alessandri Palma Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to ...

reassumed his functions. He retired from the army on June 15, 1926. On January 24, 1926, he married María Josefina Rosa Matte Amunátegui, with whom he had four children. In 1930 he was elected Senator for the "Talca, Linares and Maule" district, but only remained in Congress until its dissolution by the

Socialist Republic of Chile The Socialist Republic of Chile ( es, República Socialista de Chile) was a short-lived (4 June 1932 – 13 September 1932) political entity in Chile, that was proclaimed by the Government Junta that took over that year. Background In July, 1 ...

on June 4, 1932. During his life he was decorated with the following orders: Comendador de Isabel La Católica y Gran Cruz al Mérito Militar, by Spain; Grand Officer of the Italian Crown; Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and Grand Officer of the Order of Michael by France; Officer of the Belgium Crown. Dartnell 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 ...

in 1944 at the age of 70.

External links

Official Military biography

Official Congressional biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dartnell, Pedro 1873 births Heads of state of Chile Leaders who took power by coup Chilean people of Irish descent Chilean Army generals People from Linares 1944 deaths