Federico Santa María
Federico Santa María | |
|---|---|
| Born | Federico Santa María Carrera 15 August 1845 |
| Died | 20 December 1925 (aged 80) |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Founding Federico Santa María Technical University |
| Partner | Anna Guillaud |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Juan Antonio Santa María Carrera (brother) Juan José Pedro Carrera (great–grandfather) Ana María Cotapos (great–grandmother) |
| Family | Santa María family Carrera family |
Federico Santa María Carrera (1845–1925) was a Chilean businessperson, philanthropist, known for founding Federico Santa María Technical University.[1] Santa María was a member of the Santa María and Carrera family,[1]
Early life
Federico Santa María Carrera was born on 15 August 1845 in Valparaíso, to Juan Antonio Santa María Artigas and of Magdalena Carrera Aguirre.[1] Through his mother Santa María was of Basque descent, and was the great-grandson of Juan José Pedro Carrera, a soldier and hero of the Chilean Independence, and Chilean Independence campaigner Ana María Cotapos.[1][2][3][4][5]
Santa María was the sixth of nine siblings, and was the younger brother of Juan Antonio Santa María Carrera, a lawyer and Radical Party politician.[1][6]
Career
Santa María made his huge fortune in the sugar markets of Paris, where he arrived when he was very young. His importance in the sugar market was considerable: he became a major power in the French economy. During World War I he closed down all his businesses, declaring that he did not want to profit from war. He also supported the French Army, donating clothes and weapons for an entire regiment.
However, once the war ended, in 1922 he started to purchase important quantities of sugar in the stock market. As analysts later declared that sugar production would be at a deficit that year, this led to enormous profits for Santa Maria. For this success he was investigated by the French national assembly, but it was determined that he had acted within legal bounds.[7]
Personal life
Federico Santa Maria was a very atypical millionaire for his time. Profoundly anti-clerical, he never got married yet lived together for decades with the French woman Anna Guillaud.[8]
Because he had no descendants, he gave his entire fortune to his hometown Valparaíso for the founding of a technical and engineering school. The result of his legacy was the Federico Santa María Technical University.
He was a distant relative of famous Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Biography: Philanthropist, visionary and entrepreneur". Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María. Valparaíso, Chile.: Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María. 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ Chambers, Sarah C. (2015). "Kin Mobilized for War: The Carrera Family Drama, 1810–1824". Families in War and Peace: Chile from Colony to Nation. Durham; London: Duke University Press. pp. 25–61. ISBN 978-0-8223-7556-2.
- ^ "Person – Carrera, Juan José (1782-1818)". Portal de Archivos Españoles (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Ministerio de Cultura. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "Las mujeres en la Independencia de Chile: mujeres de elite". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ Grisar Martínez, Angela (2 April 2000). "Conciencia de un Legado". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: El Mercurio S.A.P. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias: Juan Antonio Santa María Carrera". Historia Política: Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "Especial 80 años Universidad Santa Maria" (PDF). Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Agustín Edwards Eastman: Una biografía desclasificada del dueño de El Mercurio | CIPER Chile CIPER Chile » Centro de Investigación e Información Periodística". ciperchile.cl (in European Spanish). 3 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2017.