Lautaro Rosas

Lautaro Rosas Andrade (5 August 1876 – 10 December 1932) was a Chilean naval officer, businessman, and politician. He served as mayor of Valparaíso from 1928 to 1930.

In 1930, he also briefly served as acting intendant of Aconcagua Province.

Early life

Rosas was born in Puerto Montt on 5 August 1876, the son of Eustaquio Rosas Pérez-Asenjo and Rosario Andrade Huidobro. The youngest of four siblings, he attended the German School in Osorno before entering the Naval Academy in 1892.

From 1904 to 1905, Rosas was attached to the Chilean legation in Great Britain. During this period, he received a distinction from King Edward VII in recognition of his involvement in the rescue operation following the wreck of the British cargo vessel Laurent Branch off the Tres Montes Peninsula.

At the time of the 1906 Valparaíso earthquake, Rosas was serving aboard the cruiser O'Higgins. Following the disaster, he was appointed aide to Captain Luis Gómez Carreño, who was placed in charge of maintaining order in Valparaíso in the aftermath of the earthquake.

While serving as deputy director of the Naval Academy in 1916, Rosas promoted the establishment of what later became the National Maritime Museum. He was involved in organizing the initiative and personally sought donations for the institution's early collections.

Political career

Rosas served as mayor of Valparaíso from 1928 to 1930, during the presidency of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. His administration undertook a number of municipal public works, while contemporary accounts reported that the municipality recorded a budget surplus during his tenure.

While in office, Rosas declined to attend a public tribute to President Ibáñez in Valparaíso. In explaining his absence, he stated that he believed public works should be carried out quietly and without personal recognition.

Rosas resigned as mayor in 1930 because of declining health. His departure from office was marked by a public tribute in Valparaíso.

In October 1930, Rosas briefly assumed the duties of intendant of Aconcagua Province during the incumbent intendant's absence.

Later life and death

In 1931, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy appointed Rosas a Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy.

His health continued to deteriorate after his departure from municipal office. Rosas died at the German Hospital in Valparaíso on 10 December 1932, aged 56.