Horacio Hevia

Horacio Hevia Labbé (1878 – 19 February 1970) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a minister of state during the vice presidency of Manuel Trucco Franzani and the second administration of President Arturo Alessandri.

Early life and education

Hevia was born in the Chilean commune of Quillota in 1878, the son of José Francisco Hevia Riquelme de la Barrera, a notary and registrar of real estate for the department of Quillota, and Adelaida Labbé Riquelme de la Barrera. He had two brothers, Guillermo and Francisco, both of whom were farmers.

He received his primary education at the Escuela Elemental del Profesor "Juan de Dios Ariste" and his secondary education at the Liceo de Hombres de Quillota and the Liceo Valentín Letelier de Santiago. He subsequently studied at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer in July 1902.

He married Ana Luisa Mujica Barbé, with whom he had seven children.

Professional career

Hevia began his legal career in 1906 as a rapporteur at the Court of Appeals of Concepción. He later moved to Santiago, where he served as a rapporteur and legal defender at the Court of Appeals of Santiago, as well as a defender of minors.

He later served as an alternate judge on the Courts of Appeals of La Serena and Talca. In 1917, he became a rapporteur at the Supreme Court of Chile, and from 1921 to 1927 served as a judge of the Court of Appeals of Santiago.

Political career

In 1931, Hevia was one of the founders of the Social Republican Party, which brought together former members of the United Liberal Party and the Radical Party who opposed the policies of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's dictatorship. From 20 August to 2 September 1931, he served as Minister of the Interior, having been appointed by Vice President Manuel Trucco Franzani, the third vice president to hold office following Ibáñez's fall.

When Liberal politician Arturo Alessandri assumed the presidency for a second time on 24 December 1932, he appointed Hevia simultaneously as Minister of Public Health and Minister of the Interior. He held both portfolios until 8 May 1933.

From 1939 to 1942, Hevia also served as chairman of the board of directors of Empresa Periodística La Nación S.A. He died in Santiago on 19 February 1970.