Carlos Castellón
Carlos Castellón Larenas (1840–1884) was a Chilean lawyer, journalist and Radical politician. He served as Minister of War and Navy under President Domingo Santa María, held the intendancies of Ñuble and Concepción, and represented several constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile.
Education
Castellón was born in Concepción in 1840, the son of Agustín Castellón Binimelis and Javiera Larenas Rubio. He married Estela Reyes, with whom he had four children.
He studied at the Liceo de Concepción, the Instituto Nacional and the University of Chile in Santiago. He qualified as a lawyer on 30 October 1861 and subsequently practiced law in his native Concepción.
Castellón was also active in journalism. In 1858, he joined the editorial staff of the newspaper El amigo del pueblo.
Political career
A member of the Radical Party, Castellón was elected substitute deputy for both Concepción and Coelemu for the 1864–1867 legislative term. He subsequently served as substitute deputy for Rere from 1867 to 1870 and was elected deputy for Puchacay for the 1870–1873 term.
In 1876, he was elected deputy for Concepción and Talcahuano and served on the Permanent Commission on Education and Charity. He was reelected for the same constituency for the 1879–1882 and 1882–1885 legislative terms.
During the War of the Pacific, Castellón also held executive responsibilities. In the first months of 1880, he was appointed intendant of Ñuble, a position he held only briefly.
Under President Domingo Santa María, Castellón was appointed Minister of War and Navy on 18 September 1881. He remained in office until 28 May 1883, succeeding José Francisco Vergara.
On 18 January 1884, Castellón was appointed intendant of Concepción. His acceptance of a salaried position directly appointed by the president affected his parliamentary mandate: under a resolution adopted on 27 September 1884, deputies who had accepted such offices were declared to have vacated their seats.
Castellón died suddenly in Concepción in 1884.