Pedro García de la Huerta Izquierdo
Pedro García de la Huerta Izquierdo (29 December 1869 – ?) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, as a senator for Maule Province, and as a minister of state.
He served as Minister of Industry and Public Works under President Pedro Montt, as Minister of Finance under President Ramón Barros Luco, and as Minister of the Interior under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes.
Early life and career
García de la Huerta was born in Santiago on 29 December 1869, the son of public servant Manuel García de la Huerta Pérez and Ceferina Izquierdo Urmeneta. He attended the Instituto Nacional and the Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones in Santiago before studying law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer in December 1890.
On 28 April 1895, he married Ana Matte Gormaz in Santiago. They had two children. In addition to practicing law, García de la Huerta was involved in agriculture.
Political career
García de la Huerta was a member of the Liberal Party from an early age and participated in party assemblies and political organizations.
He entered the Chamber of Deputies during the 1906–1909 legislative term, taking office on 15 October 1907 as the representative for Cauquenes, Constitución and Chanco. He replaced Guillermo Pinto Agüero, who had been appointed minister plenipotentiary to Ecuador, Colombia and Central America. García de la Huerta was subsequently elected to a full term for the same constituency for the 1909–1912 period.
In June 1909, during the presidency of Pedro Montt, García de la Huerta was appointed Minister of Industry and Public Works, serving until 16 August of that year.
In 1912, he was elected to the Senate as the representative for Maule Province, serving until 1918.
During the presidency of Ramón Barros Luco, García de la Huerta served as Minister of Finance in 1913. While in office, he promoted legislation concerning irrigation works, including a project intended to enable the state to undertake major irrigation projects in the Maule region. The proposal was subsequently enacted into law. He also served as acting Minister of War and Navy during 1913.
García de la Huerta later served as Minister of the Interior under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes. In that capacity, he accompanied a Spanish prince of the House of Bourbon to Magallanes in 1920 for the inauguration of a monument commemorating the discovery of the Strait of Magellan.
He was also active in political journalism and used the newspaper La Mañana to promote the political positions of the Liberal Party and cooperation among allied political groups.