Domingo Santa María González (; August 4, 1825 – July 18, 1889) 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 political figure. He served as the

president of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...

between 1881 and 1886.

Early life

He was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the son of Luis José Santa María González and Ana Josefa González Morandé. He completed his early studies in the Instituto Nacional, and graduated as a lawyer from the ''Universidad de Chile'' in 1847. Soon after, he became a clerk at the Justice Ministry, where he rose to become Official Mayor. At the same time, he became the secretary of the Sociedad del Orden (Society for Public Order), a liberal club opposed to the conservative party.

Political career

At the age of 23, he became

Intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

of Colchagua. His active intervention in rigging elections in favor of the conservatives made him into the principal target of the opposition. Two years later, he was asked to resign by his superiors. His refusal sparked his destitution by

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. He was the first civilian to serve a full term as Presi ...

. At that point, he joined Montt's opposition and joined the

liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, participating actively in the 1851 revolution. In 1856, during the clash between the government and the church due to the "verger problem" he joined the opposition to the church, a position that would eventually carry to the extreme during his administration. In 1858, he was elected to the lower house of congress and a year later, he was forced into exile in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

as a result of the 1859 revolution. After his return, he remained aloof from politics. He became an attorney of the Appellate Court of Santiago. During the

Chincha Islands War The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War (), was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The conflict began with Spain's seiz ...

, he became a champion for Americanism and his articles made him a public figure. After the war, he returned to politics as member of the lower house, raising to become vice-president of the chamber. He was also a diplomat and was named full member of the Appellate Court and a State Counsellor. In March 1879, he was elected senator. When the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

broke out, he was named Minister of Foreign Affairs and soon after, Minister of the Interior. From that position, he had almost total control over the direction of the war and as such became one of the main people responsible for the victory.

Administration

President Pinto hand-picked Santa María as his successor. Although General Manuel Baquedano was also touted as a candidate, Baquedano's resignation left Santa María as the consensus candidate. He was elected president in the 1881 election, which the incumbent government intervene in to favor Santa María. During his administration, he continued the

to its end. A few months prior to his presidency Chile had captured Lima and Santa María's administration forced Peru to sign the Treaty of Ancón (October 29, 1883), putting an end to war. Santa María also wrote the peace treaty with Bolivia in 1884, basis for the future peace Treaty of 1904. In the domestic front, his main fight was against the power of the

Catholic Church in Chile The Catholic Church in Chile is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Episcopal Conference of Chile. The Church is composed of 5 archdioceses, 18 dioceses, 2 territor ...

. He forced through congress the laws of civil marriage, civil registry and public cemeteries, all of which were functions formerly in the hands of the Church. His actions led to a break in diplomatic relations with Rome. He also concluded the Occupation of the Araucanía, incorporating the area into the territory of Chile. He centralized the railroads into a state holding, inaugurated the first telephonic line between Santiago and Concepcion, and introduced the first public electric lighting. Santa María's presidency was also marked by increased electoral fraud and intervention in favor of the government liberals. In the parliamentary election of 1882, the conservatives refused to participate, except for Carlos Walker Martínez who was a candidate for deputy. The government went out of its way to prevent Walker's election and in a district with 20,000 voters there were 34,000 votes. The opposition did manage to elect a few anti-government liberals and radicals. In 1885, the electoral fight was much more violent and the conservatives were determined to oppose fraud. Fights between government supporters and detractors left many dead or wounded and there were numerous reports of votes being stolen by government officials. Santa María, far from denying he participated in fraud, openly admitted it. "I have been called authoritarian. ..Giving away the votes to unworthy people, to the irrational passions of the parties, and even with universal suffrage, is suicide for a ruler, and I will not commit suicide before a chimera. I can see this well and I will impose myself to govern as well as I can and I will support as many liberal laws as are presented to prepare the ground for a future democracy. Hear me well: future democracy," he once said. On another occasion, he simply admitted, "I have been called an interventor f elections I am. I belong to the old guard and if I participate in intervention it is because I want an effective, disciplined Parliament that collaborates with the government's work for the common good. I have experience and know where I'm going. I cannot let the theorists undo what Portales, Bulnes, Montt, and Errázuriz have done."

Later life

He assured the election of his protégé and political heir, José Manuel Balmaceda. After he stepped down, he continued his work as

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

. He died of a heart attack on July 18, 1889.

References

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