Antonio García Reyes
Antonio García Reyes (15 April 1817 – 16 October 1855) was a Chilean lawyer, journalist, historian, diplomat and politician.
A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of Finance under President Manuel Bulnes from 1849 to 1850 and represented several constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile. He was also active in journalism, legal codification and academic life.
Education
García Reyes was born in Santiago on 15 April 1817, the son of Antonio García y Haro and Tadea de Reyes Saravia. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and qualified as a lawyer on 31 January 1840. He married his cousin Teresa Reyes Pérez-Cotapos.
While still a student, García Reyes wrote an article on the Peru–Bolivian Confederation that attracted the attention of minister Diego Portales. Portales brought him into government service and later appointed him secretary to Mariano Egaña, who was sent on a diplomatic mission to Peru. The appointment marked the beginning of García Reyes's career in public service.
Political career
After completing his diplomatic mission, García Reyes remained active in journalism and historical studies. In 1837, he was commissioned to prepare the Finance Ministry's annual report. He became secretary of the National Agricultural Society when it was established in 1841 and founded the legal publication Gaceta de los Tribunales, whose first issue appeared on 6 November 1841. He also contributed to El Agricultor and participated in the establishment of the Santiago newspaper El Semanario.
In 1843, García Reyes joined the commission responsible for drafting the Military Code. His historical work La primera Escuadra Nacional, published in 1846, received recognition from the University of Chile. He became a member of the university's Faculty of Humanities and had joined the Council of Public Instruction by 1845.
García Reyes entered the Chamber of Deputies of Chile as deputy for Chillán for the 1843–1846 legislative term. He subsequently represented Los Ángeles from 1846 to 1849, serving on the Permanent Commissions on Finance and on Constitution, Legislation and Justice.
On 12 June 1849, President Manuel Bulnes appointed him Minister of Finance. During his tenure, García Reyes promoted the modernization of the Casa de Moneda, supported the colonization of Valdivia and development of the Quinta Normal, initiated the compilation of customs legislation and encouraged coastal trade. He remained minister until 19 April 1850.
In the 1849 parliamentary election, García Reyes was elected deputy for La Ligua and also substitute deputy for Chillán, choosing to represent La Ligua. He became vice president of the Chamber of Deputies on 2 June 1851 and served on the Permanent Commission on Education and Charity.
He was elected deputy for Talca for the 1852–1855 term and again became vice president of the Chamber on 2 June 1852.
Alongside his parliamentary activities, García Reyes served as acting prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Chile in 1850. In 1852 and 1853, he participated in work on the drafting of the Chilean Penal Code and the revision of the Civil Code. In 1853, he succeeded Francisco Bello as a member of the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile.
García Reyes was elected deputy for San Fernando for the 1855–1858 legislative term, but never took his seat. That year, he was appointed Chilean minister plenipotentiary to the United States. He accepted the diplomatic posting partly for health reasons but died in Lima, Peru, on 16 October 1855 while travelling to take up the position. His remains were subsequently repatriated to Chile and interred in a mausoleum constructed with public funds.
At the time of his death, García Reyes left several works unfinished, including a geographical dictionary and a history of Chile.