Lauro Barros
Lauro Rafael Barros Valdés (18 August 1838 – 28 January 1894) was a Chilean farmer and politician who served several terms as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, as a member of the Senate of Chile and as Minister of Finance under President José Manuel Balmaceda.
He was also president of the National Agricultural Society and wrote a statistical study on agriculture in the Department of Melipilla.
Early life
Barros was born in Santiago on 18 August 1838 to Diego Antonio Barros Fernández and Carmen Valdés Larrea. He married Agustina Barros Barros, with whom he had six children.
He studied at the Instituto Nacional and subsequently worked as a farmer. In 1875, he published Estadística agrícola del Departamento de Melipilla.
Political career
Initially a member of the Conservative Party, Barros was elected substitute deputy for Melipilla for the 1876–1879 legislative term. He subsequently represented the same constituency as a full deputy for four consecutive terms from 1879 to 1891.
Under President José Manuel Balmaceda, Barros served as Minister of Finance from 15 October to 26 December 1890. He later joined the Liberal Democratic Party.
In 1891, Barros was elected senator for Santiago to the Constituent Congress, serving from 15 April to 18 August. As a supporter of Balmaceda, he faced political persecution following the 1891 Chilean Civil War. He later served as president of the National Agricultural Society.
Barros died in Santiago on 28 January 1894, aged 55.