Evaristo Sánchez Fontecilla
Evaristo Marcos Sánchez Fontecilla (25 April 1836 – 12 May 1915) was a Chilean surveyor, farmer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile, as well as twice as Minister of War and Navy under President José Manuel Balmaceda.
Early life
Sánchez was born on 25 April 1836 to Mariano Elías Sánchez Bravo de Naveda and Josefa Fontecilla Fontecilla. His younger brother, Mariano Sánchez Fontecilla, also pursued a political career. He married Luisa García de la Huerta Pérez in 1874, with whom he had four children.
He qualified as a surveyor on 11 January 1858 and subsequently devoted himself to agricultural activities.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Party, Sánchez was elected deputy for San Felipe for the 1879–1882 term. He was reelected for 1882–1885, taking his seat on 11 August 1882, and again represented San Felipe from 1885 to 1888.
At the beginning of President José Manuel Balmaceda's administration, Sánchez was appointed Minister of War and Navy, serving from 18 September to 30 November 1886. He returned to the same portfolio from 12 April to 9 November 1888.
In 1888, Sánchez was elected senator for Maule for the 1888–1894 term. He served on the Senate's Permanent Commission on War and Navy and remained a senator following the 1891 Chilean Civil War.
Later in life, Sánchez served as government-appointed administrator of the San Vicente de Paul Hospital from 1902 to 1908.
He died on 12 May 1915, aged 79.