Aníbal Letelier
Aníbal del Rosario Letelier Núñez (5 March 1862 – 25 February 1930) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and twice as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction.
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Letelier represented Linares, Parral and Loncomilla in the Chamber of Deputies from 1903 to 1909. He later served in the cabinet of President Ramón Barros Luco.
Early life and career
Letelier was born in Talca on 5 March 1862 to Tristán Letelier Rojas and Ascención Núñez Barrios. He married Felicidad Araya Cruz, with whom he had children.
He studied at the Instituto Nacional and the Liceo de Hombres de Talca before studying law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 12 March 1884.
Letelier served as secretary of the Intendancy of Talca in 1884 and as a civil registry official in Talca in 1886. He was appointed judge of San Javier in 1889 and judge of San Fernando in 1891. Following his support for President José Manuel Balmaceda during the 1891 Chilean Civil War, he was imprisoned in Santiago and removed from the judiciary.
He subsequently practiced law, first in Talca and later in Santiago, representing several institutions and companies. Letelier also served for five years as a member of the Council of Public Instruction and as a councillor of the Caja de Crédito Minero and Caja de Crédito Hipotecario. In 1902, he was a director of the Talca gas company.
Letelier was also active in journalism. He worked as an editor of El Heraldo in Talca, contributed to Los Tiempos, and was a founding member and editor of La Actualidad.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Letelier participated in the reorganization of the party in Talca from 1892.
He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Linares, Parral and Loncomilla for the 1903–1906 term and was reelected for the same constituency for the 1906–1909 term. He served on the Conservative Commission during the parliamentary recesses of 1904–1905 and 1906–1907, and participated in the foreign relations and industry committees.
President Ramón Barros Luco appointed Letelier Minister of Justice and Public Instruction on 11 January 1911. He remained in office until 15 August 1911. Letelier returned to the ministry on 13 January 1913 and served until 16 June 1913.
During his second ministerial tenure, Letelier also served as acting Minister of Foreign Relations for fifteen days in May 1913.
Letelier died in Viña del Mar on 25 February 1930, aged 67.