Enrique Foster

Enrique Joaquín Foster Recabarren (30 May 1856 – 11 May 1928) was a Chilean lawyer and judge who served as president of the Supreme Court in 1910.

Early life and education

Foster was born on 30 May 1856, the son of Julio Mulford Foster and Luisa Recabarren. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later studied law at the University of Chile.

Judicial career

Foster entered the Chilean judiciary in 1882 and subsequently served as a judge in several cities, including Melipilla, Rancagua and Ovalle.

In 1890, while serving as a criminal judge in Valparaíso, Foster was offered the position of minister of justice by President José Manuel Balmaceda, but declined the appointment.

In 1892, he was appointed a justice of the newly established Court of Appeals of Valparaíso. While serving on the court, Foster and prosecutor Camilo Munita Gormaz promoted the establishment of a law course in Valparaíso, which began operating in 1894.

Foster served as president of the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso in 1897. In 1899, he was transferred to the Court of Appeals of Santiago.

In 1903, Foster was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court of Chile.

In 1910, Foster became president of the Supreme Court, succeeding Gabriel Palma Guzmán. He held the presidency during the government of Pedro Montt and was succeeded by José de Bernales Mancheño in 1911.

In 1911, President Ramón Barros Luco appointed Foster a member of the Council of State.

Foster left the Supreme Court in 1922.

Personal life and death

Foster married María del Carmen Alcalde Lecaros. He died in Santiago on 11 May 1928, aged 71.