Ismael Pérez Montt
Ismael Pérez Montt (1847 – March 1905) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction under President José Manuel Balmaceda. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile.
Early life
Pérez Montt was born in 1847 to Juan José Pérez Vergara and Mercedes Montt Goyenechea. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later law at the University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer on 27 June 1870.
He married Filomena Ruiz Tagle Larraín in Santiago on 14 January 1874. In 1871, he served as secretary of the commission responsible for revising the Mining Code.
Political career
Pérez Montt was initially affiliated with the Liberal Party. He was elected substitute deputy for Arauco for the 1885–1888 term and subsequently served as titular deputy for Arauco from 1888 to 1891.
Under President José Manuel Balmaceda, he was appointed Minister of Justice and Public Instruction, serving from 10 December 1890 to 20 May 1891. While holding that portfolio, he also served as acting Minister of Finance from 27 December 1890 to 4 January 1891.
In 1891, Pérez Montt was elected senator for Arauco to the Constituent Congress, which sat from 15 April to 18 August. Following the overthrow of Balmaceda, he went into exile in Buenos Aires, where he validated his legal qualifications and practised law. He returned to Chile in 1898.
He later joined the Liberal Democratic Party. In 1897, he was elected substitute deputy for Illapel, Combarbalá and Ovalle for the 1897–1900 term, taking his seat on 13 July 1899 following the death of Julio Bañados Espinosa.
Pérez Montt died in March 1905.