José Vergara Donoso
José Francisco Vergara Donoso (1850 – 28 December 1909) was a Chilean lawyer, judge, diplomat and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization under President Germán Riesco.
He also had an extensive judicial and diplomatic career, serving as a judge in Iquique, a member of the Iquique Court of Appeals and Chilean diplomatic representative in the United States and Argentina.
Early life
Vergara was born in Talca in 1850 to Ramón Vergara Donoso and Pilar Donoso Cienfuegos. His brother, Ramón Antonio Vergara Donoso, was also a parliamentarian. He married Juana Gildemeister Prado.
He studied law at the University of Chile, where he graduated before qualifying as a lawyer on 21 July 1871.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Party, Vergara also participated as a representative for Cañete in the Conservative Convention of 1878.
Vergara was elected substitute deputy for Los Andes for the 1879–1882 legislative term and also served as deputy for Ancud and Quinchao during the same period. He subsequently represented Coquimbo in the Senate of Chile from 1882 to 1888.
In 1879, Vergara was appointed judge of Iquique. On 19 November 1880, he became a member of the Iquique Court of Appeals and was confirmed in that position on 21 November 1884. He was temporarily replaced in 1893 and 1894 while serving the Chilean government abroad.
In 1883, he was one of the founders of the Tarapacá No. 7 Fire Company of the Iquique Fire Department and served as its first director.
Vergara served as a member of the Chilean legation in Washington, D.C., in 1893 and 1894.
During the presidency of Germán Riesco, Vergara was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization, serving from 6 May to 20 November 1902.
In 1903, he was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Argentina, participating in matters related to the Pacts of May. He later carried a confidential message from President Pedro Montt and minister José Rafael Balmaceda in an effort to reach a settlement of the longstanding Tacna–Arica dispute.
Vergara later became a permanent member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, a position he held until his death.
Vergara died in Paris, France, on 28 December 1909.