José María Barceló

José María Barceló Carvallo (1835 – 25 January 1897) was a Chilean lawyer, judge and politician who served as president of the Supreme Court in 1893.

Biography

Barceló was born in Valdivia in 1835, the son of José Ignacio Barceló Salazar, a military officer who participated in the Chilean War of Independence, and Matilde Carvallo Plaza de los Reyes.

He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later studied law at the University of Chile. He was admitted to the bar on 17 January 1860. He subsequently taught forensic practice.

Barceló married Rosa Lira Carrera, a granddaughter of Chilean independence leader José Miguel Carrera. They had four children.

He died in Santiago on 25 January 1897.

Judicial career

Barceló began his career in the Chilean judiciary on 23 April 1862, when he was appointed judge of letters of Chiloé. In 1871 and 1872, he served as substitute criminal judge of Valparaíso.

In 1876, Barceló was appointed judge of letters of Valparaíso. That year, he also served as an acting justice of the Court of Appeals of Santiago and was appointed a justice of the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso.

On 25 May 1878, he became a permanent justice of the Court of Appeals of Santiago. On 12 April 1883, Barceló was appointed an acting justice of the Supreme Court of Chile, and on 25 February 1889 he became a permanent justice of the court.

In 1893, Barceló became president of the Supreme Court, succeeding Gregorio Amunátegui Aldunate. He held the presidency during the government of Jorge Montt and was succeeded by Carlos Risopatrón in 1894.

Barceló remained a justice of the Supreme Court until his death in 1897.

Political career

Barceló served as a substitute deputy for Ancud during the 1861–1864 legislative period, although there is no record that he took his seat.

On 7 August 1873, President Federico Errázuriz Zañartu appointed him Minister of Justice, Worship and Public Instruction. During his tenure, the Penal Code was promulgated in 1874, followed by the Law on the Organization and Powers of the Courts in 1875. Barceló also served briefly as acting minister of foreign affairs in April 1875.

He later served as substitute senator for Valparaíso during the 1876–1882 legislative period, taking office in 1879 as the replacement for Santiago Lindsay Font. In the Senate, he participated in the commissions on Constitution, Legislation and Justice and on Education and Welfare.

In 1897, Barceló was appointed a member of the Council of State.