Luis Aníbal Barrios
Luis Aníbal Barrios Ugalde (10 August 1875 – 4 April 1962) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, as a member of the Senate for Arauco Province, and as Minister of Finance under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes.
Barrios was a member of the Club de la Unión and the National Agricultural Society. He died in Santiago in April 1962.
Biography
Barrios Ugalde was born in Ovalle on 10 August 1875 to Francisco Barrios Montt, a landowner, and Jovita Ugalde Campusano. He completed his secondary education at the Liceo de La Serena before studying law at the University of Chile in Santiago. He qualified as a lawyer on 22 June 1899, at the age of 23.
He married Aurelia Sánchez, with whom he had three children.
Barrios Ugalde began his legal career in Antofagasta, where he worked as an adviser to commercial firms, banks and companies involved in the nitrate industry. He subsequently left legal practice to pursue business interests in commerce, mining and industry. His activities included nitrate enterprises in northern Chile and tin mining ventures in Bolivia.
He also developed agricultural interests in central Chile. After travelling to Europe, where he studied agricultural practices in Italy, he contributed to the introduction of rice cultivation in Chile. He later served as president of the Agricultural Export Board in 1942 and as a director of the Central Bank of Chile.
Political career
A member of the Radical Party, Barrios Ugalde entered the Chamber of Deputies during the 1912–1915 legislative term, replacing Manuel Gallardo González as deputy for Valdivia and La Unión on 16 December 1912. During this period, he participated in a Chamber commission tasked with studying economic measures concerning public finances and monetary stability.
He was subsequently elected deputy for Osorno for the 1915–1918 legislative term. In 1918, he entered the Senate as representative for Arauco, serving until 1924. He was vice president of the Senate from 3 June to 14 October 1918 and also represented the Senate as president of the Electoral Qualifying Tribunal.
Minister
Under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Barrios Ugalde served as Minister of Finance from 6 September to 25 November 1918. During his tenure, he was involved in matters concerning the Lebu–Los Sauces railway, the nitrate industry, monetary conversion, customs reform, and the agricultural and timber industries. His term also coincided with the establishment of the Scientific and Industrial Nitrate Institute in 1918.