René Rojas Galdames (January 22, 1919 – October 22, 1988) 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 lawyer and diplomat. He was born on January 22, 1919, and died on October 22, 1988. He married Margarita Zamora Callejas with whom he had 8 children.

Education and career

Rojas Galdames served as Attorney General and as secretary to the President of the Republic. He entered the diplomatic service in 1946 and in 1950 obtained a Master in Public Administration degree at the

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (''abbrev.'' SPIA; formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of c ...

at Princeton University. He was a founding member of the Third Company of the La Cisterna Fire Department of (May 21, 1943).

Diplomatic career

During his diplomatic career Rojas Galdames served as secretary to the embassies of Chile in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

(1951),

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(1953),

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

(1954), UK (1956-1961) and as Counselor at the Embassy of Chile in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(1962-1967). He was Director of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 1970 and 1973 he was Chile's ambassador to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

and between 1973 and 1978 was Chile's ambassador to

, and later served as Chile's ambassador to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

from 1978 to 1980. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile in two periods, at very conflicting times in Chile's history, during 1980-1981 and 1982–1983. During the first period he experienced the Beagle crisis and in the second the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

, in which Chile was involved.

References

External links

El abogado y la diplomacia (The lawyer and diplomacy) - article written by René Rojas Galdames in 1985
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas Galdames, Rene Foreign ministers of Chile 1919 births 1988 deaths Ambassadors of Chile to Argentina Ambassadors of Chile to Spain Ambassadors of Chile to the Holy See Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic 20th-century Chilean lawyers