Domingo Santa María Santa Cruz

Domingo Santa María
Minister of Economy, Development and Reconstruction
In office
3 November 1964 (1964-11-03) – 15 February 1968 (1968-02-15)
PresidentEduardo Frei Montalva
Preceded byManuel Pereira Irarrázaval
Succeeded byAndrés Zaldívar Larraín
Ambassador of Chile to the United States
In office
1 July 1968 (1968-07-01) – 3 November 1970 (1970-11-03)
PresidentEduardo Frei Montalva
Preceded byRadomiro Tomic
Succeeded byOrlando Letelier
Councillor of Providencia
In office
6 December 1996 (1996-12-06) – 6 December 2000 (2000-12-06)
Personal details
Born(1920-08-08)8 August 1920
Died5 June 2006(2006-06-05) (aged 85)
PartyChristian Democratic Party
Parent(s)Julio Santa María
Ana Santa Cruz
RelativesDomingo Santa María (great-grandfather)
Vicente Santa Cruz Vargas (maternal grandfather)
Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson (uncle)
Alma materPontifical Catholic University of Chile
OccupationCivil engineer, academic, businessman, and politician

Domingo Santa María Santa Cruz (8 August 1920 – 5 June 2006) was a Chilean civil engineer, academic, businessman, and politician, a member of the Christian Democratic Party.

He served as Minister of Economy and later as Ambassador of Chile to the United States during the administration of President Eduardo Frei Montalva.

Biography

Family

He was the son of Julio Álvaro Santa María Santa María and Ana Santa Cruz Wilson, and the youngest of eight children. He was the great-grandson of Chilean President Domingo Santa María and the grandson of Vicente Santa Cruz Vargas. He was also the nephew of the prominent Chilean musician Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson.[1]

Education

He studied at the Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. He then entered the Arturo Prat Naval Academy, where he studied for three years, motivated by his godfather Arturo Wilson, a survivor of the corvette Esmeralda.[1]

Later, he studied civil engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, graduating in 1943 with highest distinction.[1]

Public and political career

Santa María was president of the National Association of Catholic Students. He later became involved with the Chilean Chamber of Construction, serving as its president between 1956 and 1958.[1][2]

In 1960, together with his friends Andrés Donoso and Sergio Ossa, he co-founded the engineering company Sigdo Koppers. He sold his share upon being appointed Minister of Economy, Development and Reconstruction by President Frei in 1964.[1]

He served as minister until February 1968, and the following year was appointed Ambassador of Chile to the United States, where he remained until 1970.[1][2]

During the 1970s, he worked in academia, serving as vice-rector for Economic and Financial Affairs at the Catholic University (1971–1972), and later as rector of the Federico Santa María Technical University (1972–September 1973).

At the initiative of Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez, he founded the Banco del Desarrollo, serving as its president from 1983 to 1996.[1]

In the 1996 Chilean municipal elections, he was elected councillor for Providencia, serving until 2000.

During this period, he signed the public declaration El voto en conciencia y los católicos, which argued that Catholic principles were compatible with voting for candidates such as Ricardo Lagos, regardless of their faith.[3]

He never married nor had children. He died in Santiago in 2006 at the age of 85.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "El Mercurio (Santiago), 10 June 2006, p.C10". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b "El Mercurio (Santiago), 6 June 2006, p.B4". Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Domingo Santa María, minister and businessman". El Mercurio. 10 June 2006. p. C10. Retrieved 28 June 2015.