Darío Zañartu
Darío Zañartu del Río (15 June 1852 – 29 October 1927) was a Chilean politician, diplomat and public official who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Illapel from 1888 to 1891. He also held several administrative and diplomatic positions and served as Minister of Finance and Minister of War and Navy.
Early life
Zañartu was born in Concepción on 15 June 1852, the son of Ignacio Zañartu Arrau and Margarita del Río Peña. He attended Colegio San Ignacio between 1865 and 1869 and later began studying law, although he did not complete his degree.
He joined the Civic Battalion No. 3, becoming a second lieutenant in its Second Company in May 1870 and a lieutenant three years later.
Zañartu married María Cavero Eusquiza in Chorrillos on 10 November 1876. He married his second wife, Filomena Correa Ariztía, in 1918 and had children.
Political career
During the War of the Pacific, Zañartu was appointed civil governor of Arica on 1 October 1880, while the city was under Chilean occupation. He subsequently served as governor of Callao from May 1882. After the war, he remained connected with Chilean diplomatic service in Peru and was appointed consul general in Callao in July 1884.
His diplomatic career continued in 1886. Zañartu was initially appointed Chilean minister plenipotentiary to Colombia in May of that year, but the assignment was subsequently changed and he was instead designated to represent Chile in Bolivia.
After returning to Chile, Zañartu held several positions in the public administration. He worked as an inspector of fiscal offices and as deputy director of the accounting office before becoming head of the accounting department of the Valparaíso Customs House in June 1887.
Zañartu entered the Chamber of Deputies as the representative for Illapel for the 1888–1891 legislative term. During his political career, he was associated with both the National Party and the Liberal Party.
Following his parliamentary service, Zañartu returned to public administration. In December 1891, he was appointed to the Court of Accounts, and in April 1894 he joined the supervisory board of the public employees' pension fund.
Zañartu was appointed Minister of Finance on 14 April 1898 and remained in office until 18 June of that year.
He later became director general of the State Railways. While holding that position, he was appointed by the Ministry of Industry and Public Works to coordinate with the directors and administrators involved in the Trans-Andean railway system. He carried out these responsibilities between August 1902 and September 1906.
Zañartu subsequently continued his career in the financial administration of the state. In January 1909, he returned to the cabinet as Minister of War and Navy, serving from 22 January until 15 June 1909.
He remained in public service until his retirement. Zañartu died in Santiago on 29 October 1927, aged 75.