Guillermo Soublette
Guillermo Soublette Garín (30 August 1867 – 26 September 1932) was a Chilean naval officer and politician who reached the rank of rear admiral in the Chilean Navy and served as Minister of War and Navy under President Ramón Barros Luco.
During his naval career, Soublette served as deputy director of the Naval Academy, director of the Naval War Academy and chief of the Navy General Staff. After retiring from active service in 1924, he was appointed intendant of Valparaíso Province.
Early life
Soublette was born on 30 August 1867. He entered the Naval Academy as a cadet on 7 January 1882. After graduating, he served aboard the cruiser Esmeralda and the gunboat Pilcomayo.
In 1889, while serving aboard the corvette O'Higgins, Soublette participated in a hydrographic commission to the provinces of Tarapacá and Atacama. The following year, as an officer aboard Esmeralda, he escorted the Peruvian cruiser Lima from Valparaíso to Callao, which was transporting the remains of Peruvian admiral Miguel Grau Seminario.
During the 1891 Chilean Civil War, Soublette participated in the campaign against President José Manuel Balmaceda aboard Esmeralda. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 30 October 1891. In subsequent years, he served aboard the ironclad Cochrane, the battleship Capitán Prat and the corvette Abtao.
Naval and political career
Soublette was promoted to corvette captain on 12 September 1895. In 1898, he became second-in-command of the cruiser Esmeralda and later of the cruiser O'Higgins. He was promoted to frigate captain on 27 October 1900 and subsequently commanded the destroyer Almirante Simpson.
From 1902 to 1905, Soublette served as deputy director of the Naval Academy. He subsequently commanded the cruiser Blanco Encalada. In 1907, he was appointed the Navy's delegate to the International Maritime Exposition in Bordeaux and was promoted to captain that year.
Soublette later served with the Chilean Naval Commission in London. In 1909, he represented the Chilean government at the International Conference on Maritime Law. He also commanded the cruiser Chacabuco and, while serving as chief of the Technical Information Office, assumed the directorship of the Naval War Academy.
During the presidency of Ramón Barros Luco, Soublette served as Minister of War and Navy. He was involved in efforts to establish a pension system for members of the armed forces, an initiative developed jointly by officers of the Navy and Army and which contributed to the establishment of what later became the Caja de Previsión de la Defensa Nacional.
In 1919, Soublette was promoted to rear admiral and placed in charge of the Directorate of Artillery and Fortifications. In 1922, he was appointed chief of the Navy General Staff. In that capacity, he participated in the Fourth Pan-American Conference, which addressed the limitation of naval armaments.
Soublette retired from active naval service in 1924 and was subsequently appointed intendant of Valparaíso Province. He died on 26 September 1932.