Ruperto Bahamonde

Ruperto Antonio Bahamonde Rivera (20 September 1861 – 7 March 1926) was a Chilean lawyer, legal scholar and academic who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes in 1918.

A longtime professor of civil law at the University of Chile, he was dean of its Faculty of Law before serving as rector of the university from 1924 until his death in 1926.

Biography

Bahamonde married Sara Elvira Ruiz Mansenlli. They had five children, including lawyer and politician Enrique Bahamonde.

Bahamonde pursued an academic career at the University of Chile, where he taught civil law for many years in the Faculty of Law. He became dean of the faculty in 1914 and subsequently rose to the leadership of the university.

Following the appointment of rector Gregorio Amunátegui Solar as Minister of Public Instruction on 6 October 1924, Bahamonde assumed the rectorship in an acting capacity. On 19 April 1925, the university faculty elected him rector in his own right. He remained in office until his death the following year.

Political career

Bahamonde was affiliated with the Radical Party. During the presidency of Juan Luis Sanfuentes, he entered the cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization, holding the portfolio from 6 September to 25 November 1918.

He died in Santiago on 7 March 1926, while still serving as rector of the University of Chile.