Mariano Puga Vega
Mariano Puga Vega | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 24 April 1951 – 15 May 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Cifuentes |
| Constituency | 20th Departmental Group |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 November 1899 |
| Died | 22 January 1976 (aged 76) |
| Party |
|
| Spouse |
Elena Concha Subercaseaux
(m. 1926) |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Mariano Puga Vega (5 November 1899 – 22 January 1976) was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat and parliamentarian, affiliated with Acción Republicana, and later the Liberal Party.
He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies between 1951 and 1953, representing the southern districts of Chile, and later served as Ambassador of Chile to the United States.[1]
Biography
Puga Vega was born in San Bernardo on 5 November 1899, the son of physician and politician Federico Puga Borne and Julia Vega Lizardi.[1] He completed his primary education at a private school in Zurich, Switzerland, and his secondary education in Paris, France. He later obtained a bachelor's degree from the Sorbonne before returning to Chile to study law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 5 August 1922, with a thesis titled La ley de cuentas corrientes y cheques comentada.[1]
He married Elena Concha Subercaseaux in Santiago in 1926. The couple had seven children, including the priest Mariano Puga Concha.[1]
Professional career
Puga Vega worked as an honorary translator and interpreter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1925, he served as legal advisor to the Kemmerer Mission. He later acted as secretary general of the Commission for the Reform of the Chilean Commercial Code in 1929 and participated in the modernization of the Central Bank.
He was sent to Tacna as part of Chile’s diplomatic mission during the transfer of the territory to Peru and later served as chargé d’affaires of the Chilean mission in France. In 1935, he participated in a financial mission to the United States and Europe and was subsequently appointed a member of the National Wage Commission.[1]
He practiced law in partnership with Luis Navellán and Enrique Puga Concha and acted as Chilean representative for several major foreign firms. He was also active in agriculture, owning and operating the estates of Los Junquillos (Santa Bárbara), Gonzalina (Rancagua), and Las Encinas (Collipulli).[1]
He held numerous institutional and corporate roles, including director of Radio Corporation of Chile, the School Welfare Board, Sociedad General de Comercio S.A., Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica and Chile Films. He was a corresponding member of the Chilean Scientific Society and a full member of the Academy of Economic Sciences.[1]
Political career
Puga Vega served as president of Acción Republicana and later joined the Liberal Party. On 24 April 1951, he entered the Chamber of Deputies after being elected in a by-election for the 20th Departmental Group —Angol, Collipulli, Traiguén, Victoria and Curacautín— for the 1949–1953 legislative period, replacing the late Carlos Cifuentes Sobarzo.[1]
During his parliamentary tenure, he served as a replacement member of the Standing Committees on Constitution, Legislation and Justice; Finance; and Internal Police and Regulations.[1]
Between 1957 and 1958, he served as Ambassador of Chile to the United States during the administration of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. In 1962, as national president of the Liberal Party, he was a key promoter of the Democratic Front of Chile coalition. He later represented Chile at the 1963 inauguration in the Dominican Republic and served as Chilean delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.[1]
Works
- La ley de cuentas corrientes bancarias y cheques comentada (1922)
- El petróleo chileno (1964)
- El cobre chileno (1965)
- Vida del doctor Federico Puga Borne: 1856–1935 (1973)
Honours
- Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)