Carlos Ávalos
Carlos Gregorio Ávalos Varela (4 November 1854 – 10 March 1924) was a Chilean mining engineer, businessman and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Antofagasta, Taltal and Tocopilla from 1903 to 1906. A member of the Radical Party, he also served twice as Minister of Industry and Public Works.
Much of Ávalos's professional career was associated with the mining industry in northern Chile and Bolivia. He also held senior positions in banking, shipping and higher education.
Early life
Ávalos was born in Vallenar on 4 November 1854, the son of Gregorio Ávalos Larrahona and Margarita Varela Aguirre. He studied at the Liceo de Valparaíso and later at the Instituto Nacional, where he taught drawing and mathematics while completing his higher education. He qualified as a mining engineer on 19 May 1877.
Ávalos married Ester Ballivián Grinwood, with whom he had two children.
Professional career
After qualifying as an engineer, Ávalos began working in the copper-mining industry and was placed in charge of the La Higuera mining district in Coquimbo Province. His subsequent career took him to several major mining operations in Chile and Bolivia. In 1884, he was appointed to manage the Corocoro copper mines in Bolivia.
Ávalos also worked with mining enterprises associated with Huanchaca and Oruro and later participated in a company established to exploit copper deposits at San José del Abre in Antofagasta. The enterprise acquired a mineral-processing facility in Calama and the Rosario del Llano and Poderosa mines at Chuquicamata.
In 1909, the Banco de Chile, as the principal creditor of the Compañía Minera de Oruro, commissioned Ávalos to reorganize the company. Its financial position subsequently improved as operations were restructured and international tin prices rose.
As a mining engineer, Ávalos prepared technical reports on several mineral deposits and mining ventures, including Collahuasi in Antofagasta, the La Reina tin operation and the Las Vacas gold deposits near Los Vilos.
His professional activities extended beyond mining. Ávalos served on the board of the Caja de Crédito Salitrero, managed the Banco Comercial de Valparaíso and became a director of the Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores in 1902. He also served as dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Chile and contributed columns to El Mercurio.
Political career
A member of the Radical Party, Ávalos was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Antofagasta, Taltal and Tocopilla for the 1903–1906 legislative term. In Congress, he served on the Public Works Committee.
During the presidency of Germán Riesco, Ávalos was appointed Minister of Industry and Public Works, serving from 12 May to 1 June 1904.
He returned to the same ministry under President Pedro Montt, holding the portfolio from 29 October to 7 November 1906. During this brief appointment, he also temporarily assumed responsibility for the Ministry of War and Navy.
The Chilean government also entrusted Ávalos with several special assignments during his public career. These included acting as a confidential representative in dealings with the Bolivian government and carrying out valuation work connected with the Trans-Andean railway.
Ávalos died in Santiago on 10 March 1924, aged 69.