Domingo Fernández
Domingo Atanasio Fernández Concha (15 April 1838 – 2 November 1910) was a Chilean businessman, farmer, banker and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile.
A member of the Conservative Party, Fernández Concha represented Chillán in the Chamber of Deputies before serving in the Senate for Santiago, Chiloé and Maule.
Early life
Fernández Concha was born in Santiago on 15 April 1838 to Pedro José Fernández Recio and Rosa de Santiago Concha y de la Cerda. His brothers included priest and politician Rafael Fernández Concha and former deputy Pedro Fernández Concha.
He studied at the Instituto Nacional. After completing his studies, he worked at El Porvenir de las Familias, an insurance company which he reorganized in 1861. He later became involved in agriculture, banking and other business activities.
Fernández Concha married Amelia Bascuñán Valledor on 11 January 1866, with whom he had four children.
He founded the Banco de Domingo Fernández Concha and participated in the establishment of several other financial institutions. In 1882, he and Abdón Cifuentes established the Banco de Santiago. After studying European savings institutions, Fernández Concha founded the Banco Popular following his return to Chile in 1890. He was also active in agriculture and developed vineyards at the Hacienda Santa Rita in Buin.
Political career
Fernández Concha was a longtime member of the Conservative Party, in which he served as director general, vice president and honorary president.
He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Chillán for the 1870–1873 term. During his tenure, he served on the permanent committee for finance and industry and participated in the Constituent Congress of 1870, which considered reforms to the Constitution of 1833.
In 1879, Fernández Concha was elected to the Senate for Santiago Province, serving until 1885. He was a member of the permanent committee for ecclesiastical affairs.
He later returned to the Senate representing Chiloé Province. Although the parliamentary period ran from 1894 to 1900, Fernández Concha was elected following the death of senator Vicente Sanfuentes Torres and joined the Senate on 20 July 1896. During this term, he served on the permanent committees for government and foreign relations.
Fernández Concha was elected senator for Maule Province for the 1906–1912 parliamentary period. He chaired both the permanent finance committee and the committee for worship and colonization.
Outside Congress, Fernández Concha played an active role in Catholic organizations. He helped establish Catholic youth circles with Abdón Cifuentes in 1876 and founded the Asociación Católica de Obreros in 1878. He was also involved in the Unión Católica and participated in preparations for the legal and canonical establishment of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Fernández Concha died in Santiago on 2 November 1910 while serving as senator for Maule.