Carlos Henríquez Argomedo

Carlos Henríquez Argomedo (cropped)

Carlos Henríquez Argomedo (Santiago, Chile, 28 August 1876 – Panama) was a Chilean agronomist, diplomat, and politician, and a member of the Radical Party (PR). He served simultaneously as Minister of Lands and Colonization and Minister of Agriculture during the second administration of President Arturo Alessandri.

Early life and education

Henríquez was born in Santiago, Chile, on 28 August 1876, the son of Perpetua Argomedo Urzúa and lawyer Belisario Henríquez Ovando, who served as acting intendant of the province of Santiago in 1872, mayor of Santiago in 1874, and a member of the Chamber of Deputies in 1876.

He completed his primary and secondary education at the Instituto Nacional and the Military School. He subsequently studied at the School of Agronomy of the University of Chile, graduating as an agronomist in 1896. He later travelled to France to undertake postgraduate studies at the Institut Agronomique in Paris, where he remained for three years.

He married Raquel Reyes Tagle, daughter of José Luis Reyes and Domitila Tagle Fontecilla. The couple had no children.

Professional career

During the administration of President Federico Errázuriz Echaurren, Henríquez was appointed deputy director of the Chilean Agronomic Institute, serving from 1899 to 1902. During the same period, he also worked as a professor of animal science. In 1904, he was appointed a delegate of the Chilean government to Europe, a position he held until 1906.

Following his return to Chile in 1907, he served as a commissioner responsible for promoting nitrate in Argentina, and as Chilean vice-consul in the country's capital, Buenos Aires. The following year, he was appointed consul; in 1912, he became consul general in Argentina; and in 1914, he was appointed a civil attaché to the Chilean legation in Buenos Aires. He held these diplomatic posts during the administration of President Ramón Barros Luco.

From 1915 to 1928, Henríquez served as director of the Chilean Meteorological and Geophysical Institute, retiring from public service while holding that position. He was a member of the National Agricultural Society (SNA), which he also chaired in 1925. He additionally served as director of the National Industries Workshops, and as both president and vice-president of the Santiago Property Owners' Association.

Political career

Henríquez was a member of the Radical Party (PR). On 24 December 1932, President Arturo Alessandri appointed him to his cabinet, where he simultaneously served as Minister of Lands and Colonization and Minister of Agriculture. He remained in both posts until 30 October 1933.

After leaving the government, from 1934 he worked as an appraiser for the Private Employees' Fund and the Public Employees and Journalists' Fund. That same year, he founded the Chilean Society of Agronomists, of which he served as president.

Among his other activities, Henríquez was an honorary member of the Santiago Fire Department and of the Beautification Commission of San Cristóbal Hill. He died in Panama while serving as Chile's minister plenipotentiary to that country.

Works

Henríquez was the author of the following works:

  • Aplicación práctica de los abonos en Chile (1898).
  • Los abonos y las enmiendas de los suelos agrícolas (1910).
  • El salitre en Chile (1910).
  • La enseñanza agrícola extensiva (1911).
  • Antecedentes sobre la industria salitrera (1925).