Domingo Espiñeira

Domingo Espiñeira Riesco (1812 – 16 March 1880) was a Chilean naval official and politician who served as Commander General of the Chilean Navy from 1856 to 1858.

He had previously served as Intendant of Chiloé Province, where he organized the expedition that established a permanent Chilean presence at the Strait of Magellan in 1843. Espiñeira also served several terms in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile.

Biography

Espiñeira was born in Valparaíso in 1812, the son of Antonio de Espiñeira y Fernández de Cotoledo and Rafaela Riesco de la Puente. He married Manuela Ortúzar Castillo in 1839.

In 1840, Espiñeira joined the Chilean Navy as a commissary accountant and served in the Ministry of the Navy. The following year, he participated in a government commission that examined a proposal for the establishment of a steamship or tugboat service in the Strait of Magellan and around Cape Horn.

On 1 April 1842, Espiñeira was appointed Intendant of Chiloé Province. That month, acting Minister of War and Navy Manuel Montt instructed him to gather information on suitable locations along the Strait of Magellan for the establishment of settlements. Espiñeira subsequently organized preparations in Chiloé for an expedition to the strait.

The expedition sailed from Ancud aboard the schooner Ancud under the command of John Williams. On 21 September 1843, the expedition formally took possession of the Strait of Magellan and adjacent territory on behalf of Chile at Punta Santa Ana. The settlement of Fuerte Bulnes was subsequently established at the site.

After leaving the administration of Chiloé, Espiñeira pursued a parliamentary career. He represented Valparaíso in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile for the 1846–1849 term and served on committees dealing with constitutional and financial matters. He was subsequently elected for Ancud for the 1852–1855 term.

Espiñeira served as Intendant of Valparaíso Province and Commander General of the Navy from 1856 to 1858. He succeeded Julián Riesco in the naval command and was followed by Manuel Valenzuela in 1858.

Espiñeira later returned to the Chamber of Deputies. He represented Rancagua from 1864 to 1867, serving on the Committee on Government and Foreign Relations, and Ancud from 1867 to 1870, when he served on the Committee on Ecclesiastical Affairs.

After his parliamentary career, Espiñeira returned to his estate in Rancagua. He died in Santiago on 16 March 1880.