Francisco Baeza
Francisco Baeza Sotomayor (1830 – 1903) was a Chilean lawyer, judge and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and as a minister of state.
An independent politician, he represented Santiago in the Chamber of Deputies from 1870 to 1873 and later served as a cabinet minister under presidents Federico Errázuriz Echaurren and Germán Riesco.
Early life
Baeza was born in Rancagua in 1830 to Francisco Baeza Bravo de Saravia and Rosa Sotomayor Almarza. He studied at the Colegio Juan de Dios Romo and later studied law in the university section of the Instituto Nacional. In 1846, he entered the Academy of Forensic Practice and qualified as a lawyer on 14 May 1850.
In 1850, Baeza served as rector of the Liceo de San Fernando and subsequently practiced law in Santiago. He later entered the judiciary, serving as a correctional police judge in 1851 and as a criminal judge in Valparaíso from 1852. He subsequently served as a criminal judge in Santiago and was appointed a member of the Court of Appeals in 1863.
In 1864, he served as a visiting judge in Valparaíso. Baeza travelled to the United States for health reasons in 1865 and, after returning to Chile the following year, resumed his duties at the Court of Appeals. He retired from the judiciary in 1866.
In 1870, Baeza participated in the establishment of the Club Hípico de Santiago and was elected president of its first board of directors.
Political career
An independent politician, Baeza was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Santiago for the 1870–1873 legislative term. He served on the permanent committee for elections and qualification of petitions and participated in the Constituent Congress of 1870, which considered reforms to the Constitution of 1833.
In 1878, Baeza was elected municipal councillor and first mayor of La Victoria, present-day San Bernardo, where he usually resided. He was also involved in agriculture, particularly sericulture, and promoted the development of the silk industry in Chile.
During the presidency of Federico Errázuriz Echaurren, Baeza was appointed Minister of Industry and Public Works on 18 September 1896, remaining in office until 20 November of that year.
During the presidency of Germán Riesco, Baeza was appointed Minister of War and Navy on 20 November 1902. He remained in office until 7 April 1903.
Outside politics, Baeza was a member and director of the National Agricultural Society, contributing articles on the silk industry to the organization's bulletin.
Baeza died in 1903.