Justiniano Sotomayor Guzmán
Justiniano Sotomayor Guzmán (1845 – July 1909) was a Chilean mining engineer, geographer and politician who served as Minister of Finance under presidents José Manuel Balmaceda and Federico Errázuriz Echaurren. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile from 1888 to 1891.
Early life
Sotomayor was born in Santiago in 1845 to Juan de la Cruz Sotomayor Fontecilla and Gertrudis Guzmán Avaria. He married Rosa Zavala de la Barrera, with whom he had thirteen children.
He qualified as a geographical engineer in 1867 and as a mining engineer in 1868. He subsequently taught mathematics in the engineering course at the Liceo de Copiapó. In 1873, he became manager of the Corocoro mining company in Bolivia and later served as Chilean consul in that country. He resigned both positions following the outbreak of the War of the Pacific in 1879.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Party, Sotomayor was elected deputy for Cauquenes for the 1888–1891 legislative term and served on the Chamber's Permanent Commission on Finance and Industry.
Under President José Manuel Balmaceda, he served as Minister of Finance from 9 October 1888 to 11 July 1889. During his tenure, he promoted administrative reforms in the customs service, supported the international promotion of the Chilean nitrate industry and participated in studies of the country's financial situation.
In 1889, Sotomayor was appointed Director General of Public Works. He remained in that position during the 1891 Chilean Civil War and resigned in October 1891. He later returned to Bolivia as Chilean consul and also managed the Oruro Mining Company.
Sotomayor returned to Chile in 1896 and again served in the Directorate General of Public Works. On 20 November of that year, President Federico Errázuriz Echaurren appointed him Minister of Finance, a position he held until 26 June 1897. He also served as president of the National Mining Society of Chile (SONAMI) between October 1896 and April 1898.
He died in Brussels, Belgium, in July 1909.