Ramón Vergara Donoso
Ramón Antonio Vergara Donoso (31 March 1838 – 26 December 1913) was a Chilean lawyer, judge and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and as a minister of state.
He also pursued a long judicial career, serving as a judge in Talca and Santiago and as president of the Santiago Court of Appeals.
Early life
Vergara was born in Talca on 31 March 1838 to Ramón Vergara Donoso and Pilar Donoso Cienfuegos. His brother, José Francisco Vergara Donoso, also served as a member of parliament. He married Zelaida Rodríguez Bascuñán.
He completed his secondary education at the Liceo de Talca and studied law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 24 November 1859.
Vergara founded the newspaper La Opinión in Talca in 1863. He subsequently entered the judiciary, becoming a judge in Talca in 1866 and a civil judge in Santiago in 1875.
Political career
Vergara served as substitute deputy for Cauquenes and Constitución for the 1864–1867 term, taking his seat in the Chamber of Deputies on 1 June 1864.
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vergara spent much of his public career in the judiciary. He served as an acting member of the Santiago Court of Appeals in 1878 and 1880 and became a permanent member of the court on 5 May 1881. In 1886, he became president of the court.
Following the defeat of President José Manuel Balmaceda in the Chilean Civil War of 1891, Vergara was removed from his judicial position in September 1891 because he had been appointed by Balmaceda. He was reinstated later that year. He also briefly served as a member of the Supreme Court following Balmaceda's dissolution of the court.
Vergara participated in commissions responsible for reviewing the proposed codes of civil and criminal procedure, including the commission that reviewed the draft Code of Criminal Procedure in 1894.
President Federico Errázuriz Echaurren appointed Vergara Minister of Justice and Public Instruction on 4 February 1901. He remained in office until 14 March of that year. On 28 September 1901, he was appointed a councillor of state.
Under President Germán Riesco, Vergara served as Minister of Industry and Public Works from 19 March to 7 May 1906.
Vergara died on 26 December 1913.