Basilio Sánchez Beguiristáin (1903 – 1992) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an physician. Between May 1960 and May 1963, Sánchez was the 26th

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the commune of

Pichilemu Pichilemu (, ), originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort cities in Chile, city and communes of Chile, commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province in the O'Higgins Region. The commune comprises an urban centre and tw ...

. He was also one of the founding members of the Pichilemu Fire Department (''Cuerpo de Bomberos de Pichilemu'') and was, for decades, the director of Pichilemu Hospital.

Biography

Little is known of Sánchez Beguiristáin before his arrival in Pichilemu in 1933, at age 30. According to ''Historia Hospital de Pichilemu'' from the Chilean Ministry of Health Library, Sánchez arrived "on holidays ..and like others was delighted by ichilemu'sbeauty and quietness", and decided to stay in Pichilemu to work as a doctor; he was contracted by mayor

Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel Felipe Iturriaga Esquivel (December 7, 1899 – September 2, 1977) was a Chilean politician, Mayor of Pichilemu from 1932 to 1935, 1941–1944 and 1956–1960. Biography Iturriaga was born in Colchagua on December 7, 1899. He was baptized in C ...

. Between 1933 and 1940, he directed the ''Dispensario San Rafael'', Pichilemu's first health organization, created years before by fellow physician Eugenio Díaz Lira. On 1 November 1940, the Ministry of Health created the Pichilemu Relief House (''Casa de Socorros de Pichilemu''), and designated Basilio Sánchez as its First Chief. The relief house was elevated to the category of hospital in the 1960s, and became Pichilemu Hospital, with Sánchez continuing as its director. In 1960, Sánchez was elected Mayor of Pichilemu, and took office on 19 May. The directorship of Pichilemu Hospital, through his mayorship, was delegated to a doctor of Italian origin surnamed Matasi. His council was composed of the ''regidores'' Héctor Greene Valverde,

Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez Carlos José Ramón Echazarreta Iñiguez (born 11 November 1934) was the 27th and 30th Mayor of Pichilemu, Mayor of the commune of Pichilemu, office which he held between May 1963 and May 1967, and through the early months of the Augusto Pinochet m ...

, Alberto Araneda Concha, and

Sergio Morales Retamal Sergio Morales Retamal was the 22nd and 24th Mayor of the commune of Pichilemu, office which he first held between May 1950 and May 1951, and later between May 1953 and May 1956. Morales also held office as ''regidor'' of Pichilemu for two terms. ...

. He held the mayoralty until 19 May 1963. Upon the completion of his mayoral term, he returned to the direction of the local hospital, and continued in that role until 1976. Just before resigning, Sánchez brought to the hospital two physicians from the

University of Concepción Universidad de Concepción (UdeC) is a traditional Chilean private university. The work of the Penquista community, it is one of the most prestigious in Chile, and considered complex due to its extensive research in the various areas of knowled ...

, who were welcomed in a ceremony by then mayor Eduardo Parraguez Galarce. In that ceremony, Sánchez was named Illustrious Son of Pichilemu (''Hijo Ilustre de Pichilemu''), for "working in the healthcare in Pichilemu for almost fifty years." Following his resignation as director of Pichilemu Hospital, Sánchez retired. Sánchez was a founding member of the Pichilemu Fire Department (''Cuerpo de Bomberos de Pichilemu''), which was established on 4 December 1945. He was named an honorary director of the fire department. Sánchez was also Superintendent of the Pichilemu Fire Department between 1950 and 1951, and between 1961 and 1969. Moreover, he is recorded as a founding member of the Pichilemu Flying Club (''Club Aéreo de Pichilemu''); the club was founded on 2 November 1964.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Sergio 1903 births Year of death missing Mayors of Pichilemu Chilean physicians People from Irun United Conservative Party (Chile) politicians Spanish expatriates in Chile