Eulogio Rojas

Eulogio Rojas
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
15 May 1926 – 15 May 1930
Constituency20th Departamental Grouping
In office
15 May 1921 – 11 September 1924
ConstituencyAngol and Traiguén
Personal details
Born(1877-06-26)26 June 1877
Died1 May 1976(1976-05-01) (aged 98)
PartyRadical Party
SpouseRosa Guzmán Vial
Children3
Parent(s)Eulogio Rojas Rojas
Antolina Mery Barraza
OccupationLawyer, diplomat, businessman

Eulogio Rojas Mery (26 June 1877 – May 1976) was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat, businessman, and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies.[1]

He was involved in mining enterprises in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. In Bolivia he filed the first request in 1906 to exploit oil wells in the Santa Cruz region.[1] He collaborated in journalism from 1893, worked as proofreader for the newspaper Coquimbo, and founded the newspaper La Libertad in Santiago in 1932. He owned the “San Patricio” estate in Traiguén.[1]

He authored numerous works, including Códigos de Chile; Códigos de Chile. Segundo apéndice general (1927); Códigos de la Nación Argentina (1929); Códigos de la República Oriental del Uruguay (1930); Independencia de Sudamérica Hispana. Su grandeza y miserias (1946); El general Carrera en Chile (1951); Lord Cochrane; Manuel Rodríguez (1953); El general Carrera en el exilio (1955); and Los tres grandes de la emancipación de Sudamérica Hispana (1967).[1]

He died in Santiago in May 1976.[1]

Early life and education

He was born in Santiago, Chile, on 26 June 1877, the son of Eulogio Rojas Rojas and Antolina Mery Barraza.[1] He married Rosa Guzmán Vial, and they had three children, including Eulogio and Alejandro.[1]

He studied at the Military School and later at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile. His thesis was entitled Constitución de la propiedad salitrera, and he was admitted to the bar on 23 April 1906.[1] He graduated as an ensign from the Military School in 1896 and retired from the Army with the rank of first lieutenant on 20 March 1909.[1]

Professional and diplomatic career

He practiced law in Santiago and Valparaíso until 1918. Between 1910 and 1918 he served as legal adviser and aide-captain of the Carabineros Corps, organizing the Carabineros Mutual Society and securing a Supreme Court ruling recognizing the institution's military jurisdiction.[1]

In 1917 he founded bus services in Santiago.[1]

From 1918 to 1919 he served as Chilean consul in Boston, Philadelphia, and Norfolk in the United States. As delegate from Norfolk, he attended a congress organized by President Taft aimed at forming a League for Peace. He also pursued studies in International Law at the University of Pennsylvania.[1]

In 1919 he acted as sole defense counsel in the trial against military officers involved in a revolutionary movement.[1]

He later served as prosecutor of an autonomous administration and as councillor of the Caja de Crédito Prendario, appointed by the Chamber of Deputies. Between 1941 and 1942 he was undersecretary for the zone from Valparaíso to Talca, tasked with studying regional issues identified by President Pedro Aguirre Cerda.[1]

Political career

He was a member of the Radical Party. In 1920 he acted as delegate of the Liberal Alliance in Malleco during the presidential election of Arturo Alessandri.[1]

He was exiled by the government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo to Magallanes and later moved to Buenos Aires.[1]

He was elected deputy for Angol and Traiguén for the periods 1921–1924 and 1924, and later for the 20th Departamental Grouping of Angol, Collipulli, Traiguén, and Mariluán for the 1926–1930 legislative period.[1]

He served on the Commissions of Elections (1921–1924), War and Navy (1921–1924, 1924, and 1926–1930), and Foreign Affairs (1926–1930).[1] He was the author of the law creating the Public Employees and Journalists’ Pension Fund.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Eulogio Rojas Mery – Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias". Library of the National Congress of Chile. Retrieved 27 February 2026.