Manuel Antonio Garretón Walker
Manuel A. Garretón Walker | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1937 – 15 May 1945 | |
| Constituency | Santiago (1st District) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 October 1909 |
| Died | 16 December 1958 (aged 49) |
| Party | National Falange |
| Spouse | María Luisa Merino Wilson |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
Manuel Antonio Garretón Walker (25 October 1909 – 16 December 1958) was a Chilean civil engineer, academic, and politician.[1]
Initially active in conservative youth movements, he later became one of the founders and leaders of the Falange Nacional, serving as a member of the Chamber of Deputies between 1937 and 1945.[1]
Biography
Garretón Walker was born in Santiago, Chile, on 25 October 1909, the son of Roberto Garretón Bravo and Sofía Walker Shell.[1] He married María Luisa Merino Wilson in 1939, and the couple had three children: Manuel Antonio, Roberto, and Carmen.[1]
He completed his secondary education at the Sacred Hearts College of Santiago and later studied engineering at the University of Chile, graduating as a civil engineer in 1945.[1] Alongside his professional training, he pursued academic work, serving as a professor of sociology at the School of Social Work of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile between 1935 and 1943.[1]
Political career
Garretón Walker first gained prominence as president of the Conservative Youth organization and later emerged as a leading figure in the Christian social movement that gave rise to the Falange Nacional.[1]
In the 1937 parliamentary elections, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies representing the 1st Metropolitan District of Santiago for the 1937–1941 legislative period. He was re-elected in 1941, serving until 1945. During his time in Congress, he participated in the Standing Committees on Labor and Social Legislation, as well as Education.[1]
In parallel with his parliamentary activity, he served as president of the National Catholic Youth of Chile and of the Ibero-American Confederation of Students. As head of the National Association of Catholic Students, he represented Chilean youth at the First Ibero-American Student Congress held in Rome in 1933.[1]
After completing his legislative service, Garretón Walker entered the diplomatic service. In 1945, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Turkey, later undertaking missions with the United Nations. While transiting through Bombay in 1951, he was removed from his diplomatic post following allegations of contraband, an episode that generated significant media attention despite the lack of publicly disclosed evidence.[2]
Following this episode, he withdrew from political life and returned to professional practice as a civil engineer, working for Fred Müller S.A.C.[1]
He died on 16 December 1958, at the age of 49.[1]