Santiago Aldunate Bascuñán
Santiago Aldunate Bascuñán (7 December 1857 – 17 April 1918) was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat and politician.
A member of the Liberal Party, he served in the Chamber of Deputies, as Minister of War and Navy under President Jorge Montt, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization under President Pedro Montt.
He later represented Chile diplomatically in Italy, Spain and the United States.
Early life
Aldunate was born in Santiago on 7 December 1857 to and Albina Bascuñán Vigil. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later law at the University of Chile, where he qualified as a lawyer on 1 April 1882.
He worked as a lawyer in Iquique and held teaching positions at the Instituto Nacional and other educational institutions. He was also associated with the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Chile and the Sociedad de Instrucción Primaria.
On 31 October 1894, he married María Luisa Morel Cotapos.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Party, Aldunate was elected substitute deputy for Constitución for the 1885–1888 legislative period.
During the Chilean Civil War of 1891, the revolutionary government appointed him commander of the 9th Line Regiment. He participated in the battles of Concón and Placilla, where he was wounded.
President Jorge Montt appointed Aldunate Minister of War and Navy on 26 April 1894. He served until 7 December 1894, when he was succeeded by Carlos Rivera Jofré.
Aldunate subsequently represented Santiago in the Chamber of Deputies during the 1894–1897 legislative period, joining the Chamber on 2 July 1896 following the vacancy left by Joaquín Walker Martínez. He returned to the Chamber in a complementary election for the 1900–1903 period, taking office on 29 August 1901.
In 1903, Aldunate again entered the Chamber following an electoral dispute concerning the Santiago constituency. His tenure was brief, ending on 15 November after a complementary election confirmed Artemio Gutiérrez as deputy.
Under President Pedro Montt, Aldunate served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization from 18 September to 29 October 1906.
In 1907, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Italy and Spain. He later served as ambassador to the United States and died in Washington, D.C., on 17 April 1918.