Paulino Varas

Paulino Varas
President of the Council of State Defense of Chile
In office
3 November 1964 – 3 November 1970
PresidentEduardo Frei Montalva
Preceded byArturo Tagle
Succeeded byEduardo Novoa Monreal
Minister of Lands and Colonization
In office
6 May 1964 – 3 November 1964
PresidentJorge Alessandri
Preceded byRuy Barbosa
Succeeded byHugo Trivelli
In office
20 May 1963 – 10 July 1963
PresidentJorge Alessandri
Preceded byJulio Philippi
Succeeded byJulio Philippi
Undersecretary of Lands and Colonization
In office
3 November 1958 – 6 May 1964
PresidentJorge Alessandri
Succeeded byJorge Balmaceda Morales
Personal details
Born (1930-05-19) 19 May 1930
SpouseCecilia Lira
ChildrenFour
Alma materUniversity of Chile
ProfessionLawyer

Paulino Varas Alfonso (born 19 May 1930) is a Chilean lawyer, academic, and politician. He served as Minister of Lands and Colonization during the administration of President Jorge Alessandri, between May and November 1964;[1] and later served as President of the Council of State Defense of Chile (CDE) during the administration of President Eduardo Frei Montalva. He is the only surviving member of Alessandri's ministerial cabinet.

Family and education

Varas was born in Santiago, Chile on 19 May 1930, the son of lawyer and conservative parliamentarian Fernando Varas Contreras and Cecilia Alfonso Schleyer.[2] He completed his primary and secondary education at the German Lyceum of Santiago, graduating in 1947. After studying medicine for one year,[3] he enrolled in the study of law at the University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer on 6 May 1955.[2] His undergraduate thesis, entitled Historical background of the Chilean Civil Code, was written jointly with four other students, including Sergio Concha Rodríguez.[4] He also holds bachelor's degrees in Biology and in Arts.[5]

He married Cecilia Lira Lagarrigue on 7 December 1960, with whom he had four children: Paulino, Felipe, Gregorio, and Alejandra.[2]

Public offices

On 3 November 1958, following the inauguration of independent President Jorge Alessandri, Varas was appointed Undersecretary of Lands and Colonization. He served in an acting capacity as Minister of that department between 20 May and 10 July 1963.[2] Subsequently, on 6 May 1964, he was appointed Minister of Lands and Colonization, a position he held until the end of the administration on 3 November of that year.[2]

He later served as legal adviser to the Council of State Defense of Chile (CDE), eventually becoming President of the institution during the administration of Christian Democratic President Eduardo Frei Montalva (1964–1970).[2]

Academic and judicial career

Varas served as a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile from 1 May 1955 until 3 March 2021, teaching constitutional law. At that faculty he also served as Director of the Law School, Academic and Student Affairs Director, Acting Vice-Dean, President of the Evaluation Committee, and Faculty Councillor. He has also taught administrative law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, constitutional law at Diego Portales University, political economy at the Instituto Superior de Comercio Nº 1, and social sciences at the Verbo Divino School.[5]

He served as President of the Trademarks Arbitration Court and of the Appeals Tribunal on Export Quotas. He also served as a judge of the Appellate Tribunal in commercial cases and of the Appeals Tribunal on Fuels, and as an associate justice of the Constitutional Court of Chile.[5]

References

  1. ^ Valencia Avaria, Luis (1986). Anales de la República: registros de los ciudadanos que han integrado los Poderes Ejecutivo y Legislativo (2nd ed.). Santiago, Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello.
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Ramón, Armando (2003). Biografías de chilenos: miembros de los poderes Ejecutivo, Legislativo y Judicial (1876–1973). Vol. IV. Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile. p. 229.
  3. ^ "Homenajeado Prof. Paulino Varas: "He sido inmensamente feliz en esta casa"". derecho.uchile.cl. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. ^ Anales de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales (in Spanish). Editorial Jurídica de Chile. p. 262. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Paulino Varas Alfonso". uchile.cl. Retrieved 17 July 2017.