Roberto Meeks
Roberto Edwardson Meeks (1850 – 15 December 1924) was a Chilean politician, lawyer and philosopher affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party.
He served as Deputy of the Republic for five consecutive legislative periods between 1894 and 1909, representing Limache and Quillota, Tarapacá and Pisagua, and Rere and Puchacay.
Biography
Edwardson was born in Valparaíso in 1850. Following the death of his mother during childbirth, he was adopted by Smelth Meeks, a Scottish national, and his wife Brígida Fernández de Altezana, a Bolivian national, subsequently adopting the surname Edwardson Meeks. He married Matilde Valdivieso Soto Aguilar, with whom he had four children.
He qualified as a lawyer and later studied philosophy at the University of Berlin, where he obtained a doctorate in philosophy. He subsequently lived as a rentier and possessed a considerable fortune.
In 1891, Edwardson was sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on a confidential mission by President José Manuel Balmaceda. A supporter of Balmaceda during the Chilean Civil War of 1891, he joined the government forces and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Political career
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Edwardson was elected Deputy for Limache and Quillota for three consecutive terms, serving from 1894 to 1897, 1897 to 1900 and 1900 to 1903. During these periods, he served on the Education and Charity Committee, the Elections and Petitions Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.
He was subsequently elected Deputy for Tarapacá and Pisagua for the 1903–1906 legislative period, serving as a substitute member of the Industry Committee and the Internal Police Committee.
Edwardson was elected Deputy for Rere and Puchacay for the 1906–1909 legislative period, during which he served on the Charity and Worship Committee.
He later served as Intendant of Cautín Province from 1914. He was confirmed for another term in 1917 and remained in office until 31 December 1920.