Manuel Bianchi Gundián
Juan Manuel Bianchi Gundián (14 January 1894 – 16 December 1982) was a Chilean diplomat and politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commerce during the presidency of Pedro Aguirre Cerda from November 1940 to March 1941.
Early life and family
Bianchi was born in Santiago, Chile, on 14 January 1894, into a family of journalists and diplomats of Italian origin established in Chile since 1848. He was the son of Ernesto Bianchi Tupper and Laura Gundián Sierralta. His brother, , served as the first vice president of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile in 1942.
He married twice: first to Luz Pérez de Castro Gutiérrez, with whom he had two children; and later to Margery Lucile van Claveren, with whom he also had two children.
Diplomatic and public career
Bianchi held several diplomatic posts, including Ambassador of Chile to Panama, Cuba, Bolivia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commerce under President Pedro Aguirre Cerda between November 1940 and March 1941.
He later became president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States. In that capacity, he contributed to efforts aimed at restoring constitutional order in the Dominican Republic following the coups d'état that occurred after the overthrow of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.
In 1968, he received the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, awarded by the United Nations to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Bianchi died in Santiago on 16 December 1982. He was the last surviving member of President Pedro Aguirre Cerda's ministerial cabinet.
Bibliography
- Schidlowsky, David. Neruda y su tiempo: Las furias y las penas, Vol. 1. Santiago: RIL Editores, 2008. ISBN 9562846296.