Guillermo del Pedregal
Guillermo del Pedregal | |
|---|---|
Guillermo del Pedregal | |
| Ambassador of Chile to the Soviet Union | |
| In office 1971–1973 | |
| President | Salvador Allende |
| Preceded by | Óscar Pinochet de la Barra |
| Succeeded by | Office dissolved |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 3 November 1952 – 1 April 1953 | |
| President | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo |
| Preceded by | Carlos Torres Hevia |
| Succeeded by | Osvaldo Koch |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 14 October 1953 – 5 June 1954 | |
| President | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo |
| Preceded by | Felipe Herrera |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Prat |
| In office 21 October 1942 – 1 September 1943 | |
| President | Juan Antonio Ríos |
| Preceded by | Benjamín Matte |
| Succeeded by | Arturo Matte |
| In office 10 November 1941 – 2 April 1942 | |
| President | Pedro Aguirre Cerda |
| Preceded by | Marcial Mora |
| Succeeded by | Benjamín Matte |
| Minister of Economy | |
| In office 14 October 1953 – 1 March 1954 | |
| President | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo |
| Preceded by | David Montané |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Tarud |
| Executive Vice President of CORFO | |
| In office 13 June 1939 – 31 July 1944 | |
| President | Pedro Aguirre Cerda Juan Antonio Ríos |
| Preceded by | Ricardo Letelier Ruiz |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Gajardo |
| In office 14 September 1953 – 22 December 1955 | |
| President | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo |
| Preceded by | Carlos Frödden |
| Succeeded by | Benjamín Videla |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 June 1898 |
| Died | 1981 |
| Occupation | Civil engineer, academic, politician |
Guillermo del Pedregal Herrera (19 June 1898 – 1981) was a Chilean civil engineer and politician who served as Minister of State during the governments of Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Juan Antonio Ríos and Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.
Biography
He was the son of Alfredo del Pedregal and Adelaida Herrera. He studied at the Instituto de Humanidades and qualified as a civil engineer in 1922. He began his professional career in the Directorate of Public Works, serving in hydraulic engineering and railway inspection.
He was professor of Financial Mathematics at the Faculty of Economics and Commerce of the University of Chile, becoming its first Dean. During the government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, he joined a group of young technocrats incorporated into public administration by Finance Minister Pablo Ramírez Rodríguez. In 1926 he served as Inspector of Corporations and Superintendent of Insurance Companies, playing a role in legislation that nationalized the insurance sector.
In 1927 he became director-manager of the Caja Reaseguradora, serving until 1940. He also presided over the Superior Labor Council and the Central Mixed Wage Commission. Outside politics, he was president of Hipódromo Chile (1943–1948) and long-time director of the Club Hípico de Santiago.
He married Ursula Wolff and had three children.[1]
Ministerial career
In 1939 he was appointed Executive Vice President of the Corporation for Production Development (CORFO), leading its formative stage. In 1941 he became Minister of Finance under President Pedro Aguirre Cerda, promoting expansionary policies aimed at industrial development, which contributed to rising inflation.
President Juan Antonio Ríos reappointed him to the Finance Ministry in 1942 amid wartime economic pressures. His reform proposals included fiscal centralization of spending authority and price and wage controls.[2]
During the second administration of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, he served as Minister of the Interior and later simultaneously as Minister of Finance and Minister of Economy and Commerce. He advocated a development model combining import substitution with export expansion and warned against excessive dependence on copper. He also attempted to negotiate external credits with the International Monetary Fund, which required inflation control measures.[3]
In 1971 he was appointed Ambassador of Chile to the Soviet Union under President Salvador Allende, his nomination being approved unanimously.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Guillermo del Pedregal Herrera (1898-1981)".
- ^ Vial, Gonzalo (2003). Chile en el Siglo XX 1950-1970. Las Últimas Noticias. pp. 230–231.
- ^ Kofas, Jon V. (2002). The Sword of Damocles: U.S. Financial Hegemony in Colombia and Chile, 1950-1970. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 114–116.