Sergio Fernández Larraín
Sergio Fernández Larraín | |
|---|---|
| Ambassador of Chile at Spain | |
| In office 1959–1960 | |
| President | Jorge Alessandri |
| Preceded by | Oscar Salas |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Errázuriz |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 2 August 1949 – 15 May 1953 | |
| Constituency | 5th Provincial Grouping |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1941 – 2 August 1949 | |
| Constituency | 7th Provincial Grouping |
| In office 15 May 1937 – 15 May 1941 | |
| Constituency | 24th Provincial Grouping |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1909 |
| Died | 4 November 1983 (aged 74) |
| Party | Conservative Party (until 1949) Traditionalist Conservative Party (1949–1953) National Party (1966–1973) |
| Spouse(s) | Carolina Errázuriz Pereira Amelia Ruiz Figueroa |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Chile |
| Occupation | Lawyer, historian, politician |
Sergio José María Marcos Fernández Larraín (24 March 1909 – 4 November 1983) was a Chilean lawyer, historian, diplomat and conservative politician.
He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, as a senator of the Republic, and as ambassador of Chile to Spain between 1959 and 1961.[1]
Biography
He was born in Melipilla on 24 March 1909, the son of Adolfo Fernández Jaraquemada and Adela Larraín Hurtado. He completed his primary and secondary education at the San Ignacio School in Santiago and studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer on 7 September 1933 with a thesis entitled Soviet Constitutional Law.[1]
He later served as professor of constitutional law at the same university and was also active as an agricultural entrepreneur, operating the estate known as San Diego de Puangue.[1]
He married Carolina Errázuriz Pereira in 1934, with whom he had eleven children. After her death, he married Amelia Ruiz Figueroa.[1]
Professional career
Alongside his academic work, he developed an extensive intellectual career as a historian. He was a full member of the Chilean Institute of Genealogical Research and of the Chilean Society of History and Geography, and served as president of the Chilean Academy of History.[1]
He assembled an important historical archive and library, much of it gathered in Spain, including correspondence and documents related to figures such as Miguel de Unamuno, Jacinto Benavente, Ramón María Narváez and other Spanish intellectuals and political figures. This collection was later donated to the Sergio Fernández Larraín Foundation, and its catalogue was published in several volumes in Santiago in 1983.[1]
Political career
A long-time member of the Conservative Party, he served as first vice-president of the party in 1947 and was a permanent member of its leadership.[1]
In the 1937 parliamentary elections he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the 24th Departmental Grouping (Ancud, Castro and Quinchao), serving the 1937–1941 term. During this period he served on the standing Committees on Education, Internal Police, and Labor and Social Legislation.[1]
He was re-elected deputy in the 1941 parliamentary elections for the 8th Departmental Grouping (Melipilla, San Bernardo, Maipo and San Antonio), serving the 1941–1945 term. He again served on committees related to government affairs, labor legislation, and public health and hygiene.[1]
In the 1945 parliamentary elections he was re-elected deputy for the same constituency for the 1945–1949 term, serving on the Committees on Foreign Relations and on Medical-Social Assistance and Hygiene, and as a substitute member of the Education Committee.[1]
Following a by-election held on 26 June 1949, he was elected senator for the 5th Provincial Grouping (O'Higgins and Colchagua), replacing Miguel Cruchaga Tocornal. He took office on 2 August 1949 and served until 1953, participating as a substitute member in several standing committees, including Government Interior, Foreign Relations and Trade, Finance and Budget, National Defense, Labor and Social Welfare, and Agriculture and Colonization.[1]
During his senatorial term he was one of the principal authors of the Law for the Defense of Democracy, enacted under President Gabriel González Videla.[1]
Other activities
During the administration of President Jorge Alessandri, he was appointed ambassador of Chile to Spain, serving from 1959 to 1961. During his tenure, the Chile–Spain Migration Agreement was signed on 7 June 1961. For his diplomatic service he received several decorations, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel the Catholic and the Order of Charles III.[1]
He was also a prolific contributor to the written press on economic and social matters and authored numerous books and articles. He died in Santiago on 4 November 1983, at the age of 74.[1]