Agustín Edwards Ossandón
Agustín Edwards Ossandón | |
|---|---|
| Senator of the Republic of Chile for Valparaíso | |
| In office 1 June 1876 – 2 January 1878 | |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Nolasco Marcoleta Dávila |
| Deputy of the Republic of Chile for Valparaíso | |
| In office 1873–1876 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Agustín de Dios Edwards Ossandón 2 April 1815 |
| Died | 2 January 1878 (aged 62) Limache, Chile |
| Party | Independent politician, with National Party leanings |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8, including Agustín Edwards Ross |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Edwards family |
| Occupation | |
| Known for | Founder of the Bank of Valparaíso |
José Agustín de Dios Edwards Ossandón (2 April 1815 – 2 January 1878) was a Chilean businessperson, mining entrepreneur, banker and politician.[1][2] Edwards is known for founding the Bank of Valparaíso, and was one of the main forces behind the early railroad construction in South America.
Early life
Agustín Edwards was born on 2 April 1815α in La Serena, to Isabel Ossandón Iribarren and George Edwards Brown, a British-born Chilean doctor, businessperson, politician and founder of the Edwards family.[1][2][3]
Career
From the age of 15, Edwards became involved in the family business.[4] At the age of 19, he started to manage the silver smelting operations owned by his father in the cities of Vallenar and Freirina. In 1837, by the age of 22, he became independent and moved to the city of Copiapó, with a small capital he had managed to save.
In 1849 he founded the Bank of Valparaíso. He was an active promoter of the railroads in South America. He worked in the construction of the Copiapó-Caldera railway, the first Chilean railroad (and one of the first in Latin America) that was inaugurated on 25 December 1851. He then concentrated on the nitrate exploitation. He became president of the Nitrate Company, and began the studies for a railroad between Antofagasta and Bolivia.
By the 1860s Edwards was one of richest men in Chile, and was one of the countries most prominent 19th century capitalists.[3] Between 1870–1871, Edwards stockpiled vast quantities of Chilean copper causing a 50% increase in the price of copper.[3] In 1871, Edwards purchased the newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso.[4]
Politics
Edwards was elected to the lower house of parliament on 1861, and then again in 1873. In 1876, he was elected a Senator for Valparaiso, a position he held until his death.
Personal life
In 1851, Edwards married his niece Juana Ross Edwards, a philanthropist.[1] The couple had eight children, including the politician and businessperson Agustín Edwards Ross.[1]
On 2 January 1878, Edwards died aged 62 in Limache.[1]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e "Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias: Agustín Edwards Ossandón". Historia Política: Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Edwards, Agustín, 1815-1878". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Collier, Simon (1993). "From independence to the War of the Pacific". In Bethell, Leslie (ed.). Chile Since Independence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–32.
- ^ a b c "Empresarios del siglo XIX (1820-1890): Agustín Edwards Ossandón (1815-1878)" [19th Century Entrepreneurs (1820-1890): Agustín Edwards Ossandón (1815-1878)]. Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 4 October 2025.