Manuel Alcalde Velasco
Manuel Alcalde Velasco (14 August 1819 – July 1869) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs under President José Joaquín Pérez. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile, serving as vice president of both chambers.
Education
Alcalde was born in Santiago on 14 August 1819. He was the son of politician Juan Agustín Alcalde y Bascuñán, fourth Count of Quinta Alegre, and María del Carmen Velasco y Oruna. He married Mercedes Brown de la Barra, with whom he had seven children.
He studied law and qualified as a lawyer in 1846, subsequently becoming a prominent jurist in Santiago.
Political career
Alcalde entered Congress as substitute deputy for Casablanca for the 1846–1849 legislative term. He temporarily replaced the elected deputy until the latter took his seat on 4 June 1847. He later returned to the Chamber as deputy for Santiago for three consecutive terms, from 1855 to 1864. During his first two terms for Santiago, he served on the Permanent Commission on Education and Charity. He was vice president of the Chamber from 6 June to 12 October 1861.
In 1858, Alcalde was elected a substitute senator for a three-year term, replacing Pedro García de la Huerta. He served on the Permanent Commission on Education and Charity.
At the beginning of President José Joaquín Pérez's administration, Alcalde was appointed Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs on 18 September 1861, remaining in office until 9 July 1862. As interior minister, he signed the law promulgated on 18 October 1861 granting a broad amnesty to people who had been or could be prosecuted for political offenses committed since 1851.
While heading the Interior and Foreign Affairs portfolio, Alcalde also served as acting Minister of Justice, Worship and Public Instruction from 3 January to 9 July 1862.
He subsequently served on the Conservative Commission during the congressional recesses of 1864–1865, 1865–1866 and 1866–1867. In 1867, he was elected a full senator for the 1867–1876 term and became vice president of the Senate on 7 October 1867. He continued to serve on the Permanent Commission on Education and Charity and was again a member of the Conservative Commission during the 1867–1868 and 1868–1869 recesses.
President Pérez also appointed Alcalde to the Council of State. Outside government and Congress, he helped establish the Club de la Unión in Santiago and later served as its president.
Alcalde died in Santiago in July 1869, before completing his senatorial term.