Agustín Toro

Agustín Toro Dávila
Minister of Mining
In office
11 July 1974 – 30 April 1975
PresidentAugusto Pinochet
Preceded byArturo Yovane
Succeeded byLuis Valenzuela Blanquier
Designated Rector of the University of Chile
In office
24 May 1976 – 28 December 1979
Preceded byJulio Tapia Falk
Succeeded byEnrique Morel Donoso
Intendant of the Biobío Region
In office
1976–1976
PresidentAugusto Pinochet
Preceded byFernando González Martínez
Succeeded byNilo Floody
Personal details
Born(1924-10-31)31 October 1924
Died28 December 2015(2015-12-28) (aged 91)
PartyIndependent
Spouse
Carmen Lucía Solís
(m. 1947)
ChildrenCarmen; Agustín; Guillermo
Parent(s)Guillermo Toro Concha; Herminia Dávila de Toro
Alma materUniversity of Chile
ProfessionMilitary officer; writer
Military service
Branch/serviceChilean Army
RankDivisional General

Agustín Toro Dávila (31 October 1924 – 28 December 2015) was a Chilean military officer who held the rank of Divisional General and served in several senior government positions during the military government of General Augusto Pinochet.

He was Minister of Mining from 1974 to 1975 and later served as designated Rector of the University of Chile between 1976 and 1979. During his tenure at the Ministry of Mining, he signed an agreement with the Anaconda Company through which the Chilean state purchased 49% of the shares of the Chuquicamata and El Salvador mines for US$59 million.

Early life and family

Toro Dávila was born in Santiago to Guillermo Toro Concha and Herminia Dávila de Toro.[1]

His brother, Juan Guillermo Toro Dávila, served as Intendant of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region from 1981 to 1984.

In 1947 he married Carmen Lucía Solís de Ovando Lillo, daughter of Francisco Solís de Ovando and María Lillo.[1] They had three children: Carmen, Agustín and Guillermo, the latter two becoming engineers.[1]

Public career

Toro Dávila pursued a military career in the Chilean Army, eventually attaining the rank of Divisional General.

In July 1974 he was appointed Minister of Mining by General Pinochet. Among the most notable actions of his tenure was the agreement signed with the Anaconda Company, through which Chile acquired a 49% stake in the Chuquicamata and El Salvador copper mines for US$59 million.[1]

In 1976 he briefly served as Intendant of the Biobío Region.[1]

Later that year he was appointed designated Rector of the University of Chile, serving from 1976 to 1979.[1] His administration coincided with a period of significant restructuring of the university system under the military regime.

Written works

  • Síntesis histórico-militar de Chile. Santiago: Editorial Universitaria, 1976.
  • Pensamiento geopolítico de O'Higgins. Montevideo: Instituto Cultural Uruguayo–Chileno, 1988.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Anales de la República, Agustín Toro Dávila, anales.cl (accessed 23 November 2021).
  2. ^ "Agustín Toro Dávila". Memoria Chilena. Retrieved 23 November 2021.