Carlos Vial Espantoso
Carlos Augusto Vial Espantoso (22 February 1900 – 3 May 1995) was a Chilean lawyer, businessman, and conservative politician.
He served as Minister of Finance under President Gabriel González Videla in 1950 and later as Senator of the Republic for the Sixth Provincial Group (Curicó, Talca, Linares and Maule) between 1957 and 1965.
Family
Vial was the son of Francisco Javier Vial Solar and Francisca Cristina Espantoso. He married Ana Castillo Sánchez; the couple had seven children. One of them, Javier Vial Castillo, became a leading Chilean banker and headed the Banco de Chile and the Vial group; he also held shares in the Banco Hipotecario de Chile.
Education and career
The family moved to Santiago soon after his birth. Vial studied at Colegio San Ignacio and then at the Law School of the University of Chile, being admitted to the bar in 1923.
He pursued multiple business ventures in commerce, mining and finance, and served in prominent corporate roles: director and later president of the Santiago Stock Exchange for four years; president of the Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores; founder and president of VESTEX S.A.; director of Copec; vice-president of Embotelladora Andina; director of the Sociedad Constructora de Establecimientos Educacionales; and council member of Cooperativa Vitalicia.
Vial founded the Banco Sud Americano. He also sat on the Higher Council of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and was active in philanthropy (Fundación Santa Ana and other charities). He engaged in agriculture at his “Los Jazmines” estate in Melipilla.
Political career
Vial began in the Social Christian Conservative Party, later joining the United Conservative Party. On 27 February 1950 President Gabriel González Videla appointed him Minister of Finance; he served until 19 October 1950.
In the 1957 parliamentary elections he was elected Senator for the Sixth Provincial Group (Curicó, Talca, Maule, Linares) for the 1957–1965 term. In the Senate he served on the Joint Budget Committee (1958–1960) and sat on the Conservative Party’s parliamentary committee. He also served on the board of the Central Bank of Chile as the Senate’s representative. After completing his term, he retired from public life to focus on business.
Later years and legacy
Vial also wrote essays and novels, and was decorated with the Order of St. Sylvester and made a Commander by the Government of Ecuador. He belonged to the Club de La Unión, the Club Hípico de Santiago, and the Automóvil Club de Chile. In his will he created the Fundación Carlos Vial Espantoso, which promotes business entrepreneurship and annually grants a prestigious award in the field.
He died in Santiago on 3 May 1995.