Contents
Domingo Santa María
Introducing secular civil laws during Chile’s 1881–1886 presidency.
Civil legislation · Araucanía
- Born
- 4 August 1825
- Birthplace
- Santiago
- Died
- 18 July 1889
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Domingo Santa María was a Chilean politician whose presidency combined secular reforms with war, territorial expansion and electoral intervention.
Early life
Education
Studied at the Instituto Nacional and qualified in law at the University of Chile in 1847.
Career
- 1879
Cabinet office
Held foreign affairs and interior portfolios during the War of the Pacific.
- 1881–1886
Presidency
Led Chile through the end of the war.
- Later service
Senate
Served as president of the Senate.
Public service
Civil legislation
Introduced civil marriage, civil registration and public cemeteries.
Araucanía
His administration completed the military occupation of the region.
Beyond politics
Scholarship and exile
Taught geography, history and arithmetic while studying law. His opposition politics later took him into exile in Peru and Europe, and he became a member of the University of Chile's Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Scholarship and exile — biographical source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.