Ignacio Walker Prieto (born 7 January 1956) is a Chilean lawyer, politician, and, author who was Foreign Minister of Chile (2004–2006).

Academic, Legal, and Political History

Upon Walker's graduation from 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.

in 1978, he joined Vicaría de la Solidaridad as an attorney-at-law. At Vicaría de la Solidaridad, Walker defended people against human rights violations committed by the regime of General

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

. Walker was Deputy in the Chilean Parliament (1994–2002), President of the Chilean Christian Democratic Party (2010-2015), Chilean Senator (2010-2018), and Foreign Minister (2004-2006) for the

Republic of 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 ...

. In 1982, he earned a PhD in political science from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Between 2007 and 2008, he was a visiting professor and researcher at Princeton University. In 2018, Walker became the Kellogg Institute’s Hewlett Fellow for Public Policy at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

. On September 27, 2018, Walker participated as a panel member on the Kellogg Institute's Inter-American dialogue commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Chilean

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...

(political referendum) of October 5, 1988, which opened the way to a return to democracy in Chile after the Pinochet regime. The historic panel included key leaders from both sides of the political aisle who recalled and reflected upon the "NO" campaign which led to Chile's limitation and rejection of Pinochet as President followed by the country's transition to democracy. Along with Walker, members of the historic panel included Andrés Allamand - Senator of Chile, Eugenio Tiron - Executive President of Tironi Associates, Rev. Timothy R. Scully - Professor of Political Science and Hacket Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and J. Samuel Valenzuela - Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame.

Family History

Walker is a grandchild of , his great-grandfather is . He has eight siblings, including politicians

Patricio Walker Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick (given name), Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because t ...

and Matías Walker. On March 22, 1980, he married the singer Cecilia Echenique. The couple have three children: Elisa (lawyer), Ignacio (filmmaker) and Benjamin (musician).

Publications

*2020 -- ''Cristianos sin Cristiandad: (reflexiones de un legislador católico)'' *2018 -- ''La Nueva Mayoría. Reflexiones sobre una derrota'' *2018 -- ''Democracia Cristiana que queremos: El chile que soñamos'' *2016 -- ''Democracy in Latin America: Between Hope and Despair'' (Kellogg Institute Series on Democracy and Development) *2009 -- ''La Democracia En América Latina'' *2006 -- ''Chile and Latin America in a Globalized World'' *1990 -- ''Socialismo Y Democracia: Chile Y Europa En Perspectiva Comparada'' *1986 -- ''Democracia En Chile; Doce Conferencias'' (with José A. Vieragallo, et al.)

Awards

*2005 -- Grand Cross of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique --

Prince Henry the Navigator ''Dom'' Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu (4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator ( pt, Infante Dom Henrique, o Navegador), was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15t ...

(November 22, 2005) *2004 -- Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (December 10, 2004)

References

1956 births Living people University of Chile alumni Princeton University alumni Christian Democratic Party (Chile) politicians Foreign ministers of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Members of the Senate of Chile Politicians from Santiago Chilean people of English descent 20th-century Chilean lawyers Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso faculty {{Chile-politician-stub