Héctor Boccardo
Héctor Boccardo Benvenuto (13 March 1891 – 21 June 1938) was a Chilean lawyer and politician affiliated with the Radical Party (PR). He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for San Carlos and briefly as Minister of Social Welfare during the first administration of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.
Boccardo was active in Chilean Freemasonry. He was initiated into the Cóndor Lodge No. 9 in Santiago in 1918 and became its worshipful master in 1923. He was appointed Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Chile in 1924 and was elected Grand Master the following year.
He served as Grand Master from 1925 to 1930. During his tenure, the Grand Lodge reorganized parts of its administrative structure, established a charitable fund, and promoted the creation of libraries within its constituent lodges.
In 1924, Boccardo joined Santiago's Eleventh Fire Company, Pompa Italia, as a volunteer. He served as director of the company from 1926 to 1928.
Biography
Boccardo was born in Valparaíso on 13 March 1891, the son of Miguel Boccardo and Rosa Benvenuto. He attended the Colegio de los Padres Franceses in Valparaíso before studying at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 4 June 1913. His thesis, entitled Disciplina administrativa, dealt with administrative law and administrative courts.
After completing his studies, Boccardo practiced law in Santiago, where his clients included the National City Bank of New York, the Compañía de Teléfonos de Chile, Ford Motor Company, and Shell Mex. He also established a law practice with Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Armando Quezada, and later worked alongside Eugenio Matte Hurtado, Álvaro Hoyl Gutiérrez, and Agustín Millán Gutiérrez.
Among his other professional activities, he served as administrator of the Hospital San Juan de Dios and the Casa de Orates.
Political career
Boccardo was a member of the Radical Party and served on its Central Board. He was also a member of the Chilean Electoral Qualifications Tribunal.
In the 1924 parliamentary election, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for San Carlos for the 1924–1927 legislative term. In Congress, he served on the standing committees on Elections, Legislation and Justice, and Social Legislation. His parliamentary term was curtailed when Congress was dissolved following the 1924 coup d'etat.
Boccardo was later invited to participate in discussions associated with the constitutional process of 1925, although the subcommittee to which he was appointed didn't convene.
On 22 July 1931, President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo appointed him Minister of Social Welfare. His tenure lasted until 23 July, shortly before the end of Ibáñez's first government.