Horacio Pinto Agüero
Horacio Pinto Agüero (8 February 1846 – 29 June 1921) was a Chilean lawyer, judge and politician who served as a substitute member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization under President Germán Riesco.
He also had an extensive judicial career, serving in several courts before becoming a member of the Supreme Court of Chile in 1891 and later serving on the Santiago Court of Appeals.
Early life
Pinto was born in Santiago on 8 February 1846 to former military officer and parliamentarian José Manuel Pinto and Flora Agüero Asenjo. He married Carmela Vicuña Prado, with whom he had children.
He attended the Liceo de Chillán and later the Instituto Nacional. Pinto subsequently studied law at the University of Chile and qualified as a lawyer on 10 August 1871.
In 1866, while still pursuing his education, Pinto entered the Ministry of War as an official. In September 1872, he was promoted to head of the ministry's civic guards section. That year, he also contributed an article about Bernardo O'Higgins to the book La corona del héroe.
Political career
Initially a member of the Liberal Party, Pinto was elected substitute deputy for San Carlos for the 1873–1876 legislative term.
He began his judicial career on 20 March 1874 as judge of Ovalle. In October 1881, he became judge for the departments of Quillota, Limache and Valparaíso, and in December 1884 he was appointed judge of the Commercial Court of Valparaíso.
On 16 August 1888, Pinto was appointed a member of the Talca Court of Appeals, serving as its president in 1890. In 1891, President José Manuel Balmaceda promoted him to the Supreme Court of Chile. Following Balmaceda's defeat in the 1891 Chilean Civil War, Pinto's judicial career was interrupted, and he subsequently established a private law practice in Valparaíso.
After 1891, Pinto joined the Liberal Democratic Party, becoming a member of its leadership in Valparaíso. He later participated in the 1920 presidential convention.
Pinto retired as a member of the Talca Court of Appeals on 23 March 1896, although he later returned to the judiciary. During this period, he also contributed to the newspapers La Actualidad of Valparaíso and La República of Santiago.
During the presidency of Germán Riesco, Pinto was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization, serving from 20 November 1902 to 7 April 1903. On 6 February 1903, he was also appointed minister plenipotentiary to represent Chile in Buenos Aires in the signing of a telegraphic convention with Argentina.
On 2 June 1903, the Chamber of Deputies elected Pinto to the Council of State for a three-year term. He returned to the judiciary on 10 April 1906, when he was appointed a member of the Santiago Court of Appeals.
On 11 April 1912, Pinto became prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Chile, serving in that capacity for fifty days. He retired from the judiciary on 2 January 1913.
Pinto died in Santiago on 29 June 1921, aged 75.