José Vergara Galeas
José Eugenio Vergara Galeas (1827 – 22 July 1887) was a Chilean lawyer, academic and National Party politician. He served as Minister of Justice, Worship and Public Instruction under President Domingo Santa María and represented several constituencies in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile before serving as senator for Aconcagua.
Education
Vergara was born in Quillota in 1827, the son of Antonio Vergara and Francisca de Borja Galeas Bañados. He married Martina Allende Gac in 1849 and later Tomasa Echavarría Martínez de la Torre, with whom he had three children.
He studied at the Instituto Nacional and the Seminario Conciliar before studying law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 23 May 1849 after completing a thesis on mortgages and the priority of claims. From 1850, he also contributed articles to several newspapers.
Vergara taught Roman and civil law at the University of Chile, remaining a professor until 1887.
Political career
Vergara held administrative positions early in his career, serving as a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as an undersecretary of state during the presidency of Manuel Montt. He was also appointed Defender of Minors and Pious Works of Ñuble. His judicial work included participation in the arbitration tribunals established to settle matters arising from the War of the Pacific.
He entered Congress in 1852 as substitute deputy for Quillota, replacing the sitting deputy between 2 June 1852 and 13 October 1854. He was subsequently elected deputy for Chillán for the 1855–1858 term and reelected for 1858–1861. During both terms, he served on the Permanent Commission on Constitution, Legislation and Justice.
Vergara represented Talca from 1861 to 1867, continuing his work on the same parliamentary commission. He later represented Cauquenes for the 1870–1873 term. After irregularities led the Chamber to order a new election in Cauquenes, new elections were held on 10 September 1870 and Vergara was elected alongside Marcial Martínez Cuadros and Domingo Urrutia. He took his seat on 6 June 1871 and participated in the Constituent Congress of 1870, which considered reforms to the Constitution of 1833.
In 1876, Vergara was elected senator for Aconcagua. He served on the Permanent Commissions on Constitution, Legislation and Justice and on Ecclesiastical Affairs, as well as the Conservative Commission during the 1881–1882 recess. He was reelected for the 1882–1888 term.
Under President Domingo Santa María, Vergara served as Minister of Justice, Worship and Public Instruction from 18 September 1881 until 28 May 1883, when he was succeeded by José Ignacio Vergara.
During his second senatorial term, Vergara became temporarily ineligible to sit because he held another salaried presidential appointment. Adolfo Valderrama was elected to replace him for three years and took his seat on 3 June 1885. Vergara later resumed his parliamentary activity and served on the Permanent Commission on Constitution, Legislation and Justice and the Conservative Commission during the 1886–1887 recess.
He was also one of the founders and directors of the Caja de Ahorros de los Empleados Públicos. Vergara died in Santiago on 22 July 1887, before completing his senatorial term.