Rafael Casanova Casanova
Rafael Casanova Casanova (21 October 1828 – 18 August 1903) was a Chilean lawyer, judge and politician who served in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile, and as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction under President José Manuel Balmaceda.
Early life
He was born in Santiago on 21 October 1828 to Juan Ramón Casanova Opazo and Isabel Casanova Salinas. He married Adelina Zenteno Gana, with whom he had two sons, Rafael Casanova Zenteno and Álvaro Casanova Zenteno.
He studied law at the University of Chile and qualified as a lawyer on 2 September 1853. He was appointed rapporteur of the Santiago Court of Appeals on 25 November 1855 and became an interim judge in Santiago in 1862. On 12 August 1874, he was appointed a member of the Court of Appeals of La Serena, retiring from the judiciary on 3 April 1878. He was also involved in agriculture and owned the Panamá estate in the province of Curicó.
Political career
Casanova was elected substitute deputy for Cauquenes and Constitución for the 1861–1864 legislative term and took his seat on 24 November 1863.
He was later elected substitute senator for Llanquihue for the 1885–1891 term. He entered the Senate on 3 June 1889 to replace a titular senator and served on committees dealing with government, foreign relations, finance and industry.
Under President José Manuel Balmaceda, Casanova served as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction from 15 October to 10 December 1890. In 1891, he also served as a councillor of state.
Casanova was again elected substitute senator for Llanquihue to the Constituent Congress of 1891, serving from 15 April to 18 August. He was affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party.
He died in Santiago on 18 August 1903, aged 74.