Ángel Guarello

Ángel Guarello Costa (10 September 1876 – 1940) was a Chilean politician who served as a minister.

Biography

Early life

Guarello was the son of merchant navy captain Ángel Guarello De Ambrosis and Virginia Costa García.

He married Julia Gallo Sotomayor and, following the end of his first marriage, Mery Fitz-Henry MacDonell. He had nine children from his two marriages. With Fitz-Henry, he was the father of Fernando Guarello Fitz-Henry, a Chilean National Socialist politician, and lawyer Jorge Guarello Fitz-Henry. He was also the great-grandfather of sports journalist and writer Juan Cristóbal Guarello, who received Chile's National Sports Journalism Award in 2011.

Professional career

Guarello studied at the Sacred Hearts School of Valparaíso, receiving a bachelor's degree in humanities at the age of fifteen. He subsequently studied law at the University of Chile. Having completed his studies before reaching the minimum age required to qualify as a lawyer, he returned to Valparaíso, where he worked under judge Epifanio del Canto. He was admitted to the bar on 3 July 1887.

He established a legal practice in Valparaíso and became known for representing clients of limited means. Following the imprisonment of members of the leadership of the Democratic Party, the party's Valparaíso organization entrusted him with their legal representation in proceedings held in Santiago. He subsequently served as legal adviser to the party until 1890.

Political career

In the general election of 4 March 1894, Guarello was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Valparaíso and Casablanca for the 1894–1897 term. In Congress, he participated in debates concerning working conditions and public support for educational institutions maintained by workers' associations.

He was reelected for Valparaíso and Casablanca in 1897 and served until 1900, sitting on the Permanent Commission on Finance. He had previously unsuccessfully contested a seat in the Chamber in 1891 and was again unsuccessful in the general election of 1900 and a by-election in 1901.

Guarello returned to the Chamber after being elected for Valparaíso and Casablanca in 1903. During the 1903–1906 term, he served as a substitute member of the Permanent Commission on Industry. He did not seek immediate reelection because of health problems and the demands of his legal and parliamentary work, although he remained active in the Democratic Party.

He unsuccessfully contested a Senate by-election in 1908, held following the death of Federico Varela, and stood again in the 1909 general election. In March 1912, he was elected senator for Valparaíso Province for the 1912–1918 term. In the Senate, he served on the Permanent Commission on Industry and Public Works.

Alongside his parliamentary career, Guarello was involved in public and charitable institutions in Valparaíso. From 1897, he was a member of the city's Board of Public Welfare and served as deputy administrator of its lazaretto. He also held honorary positions in several workers' associations.

Guarello served as intendant and mayor of Valparaíso. He also held several cabinet posts, serving as Minister of Industry, Public Works and Railways and Minister of Justice, as well as acting Minister of the Interior and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization.

He served as a councillor of state for twelve years and was a member of the Customs Commission. He was also a member of the Valparaíso Fire Department.

Guarello died in Valparaíso on 11 December 1931.