| Manuel Bulnes | |
|---|---|
| |
| 5th President of Chile | |
In office September 18, 1841 – September 18, 1851 | |
| Vice President | Ramón Luis Irarrazaval |
| Preceded by | José Joaquín Prieto |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Montt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1799 Concepción, Chile |
| Died | October 18, 1866 (aged 66) Santiago, Chile |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Enriqueta Pinto |
Manuel Bulnes Prieto (December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile between 1841–1846 and 1846–1851.
Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile between 1841 and 1851. At the age of 16 he was imprisoned as a revolutionary by the Spanish authorities, but was soon released, and in 1818 joined the army of San Martin under whom he served as colonel throughout the Chilean War of Independence. After three years of continuous warfare (1820–23), he accomplished the temporary conquest of the Arucanian Indians. He was appointed brigadier general in 1831. In 1832 he crossed the Cordillera and defeated decisively the Pincheira brothers in the battle of Epulafquén. Then Bulnes commanded the Chilean army in 1838 against Gen. Santa Cruz in Peru; and, after taking Lima and winning the battles of Huaraz and Puente del Buin, combined his forces with those of Gamarra and defeated Santa Cruz at the Battle of Yungay (January 19, 1839), thus putting an end to the confederation between Peru and Bolivia.
Presidency 1841 - 1851[]
His presidencies were characterised by educational and cultural expansion, supported by the encouragement of foreign intellectuals to come to Chile. The National Institute was reformed and several junior schools were established along with the José Abelardo Núñez Upper School. In Santiago the University of Chile was founded during his watch, in 1842.
Bulnes also presided over a general amnesty in order to reconcile the groups who had opposed one another in the Civil War of 1829.
Regarding the nation's strategic goals, Bulnes founded Fuerte Bulnes in 1843 in order to establish and enforce sovereignty over the Magellan Straits. The settlement was relocated to Punta Arenas six years later because the original site offered insufficient space for the development of a settled community: it was and remains the most southerly municipality in the world, and has been a focus for economic development in the south of the country. Germans were targeted to colonise the hitherto very sparsely inhabited southern part of Chile in the wake of the 1848 revolutions which provided an impetus for emigration from the European perspective.
It was also during the presidency of Bulnes that the former colonial power, Spain, acknowledged the independence of Chile and became involved in the construction of Chile's first railway.
Manuel Bulnes Prieto died in Santiago.
Cabinet[]
| The Bulnes Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term |
| President of Chile | Manuel Bulnes | 18 September 1841–18 September 1851 |
| Minister of the Interior & Foreign Affairs | Ramón Luis Yrarrázabal | 19 May 1841–10 April 1845 |
| Manuel Montt | 10 April 1845–18 September 1846 | |
| Manuel Camilo Vial | 18 September 1846–12 June 1849 | |
| José Joaquín Pérez | 12 June 1849–19 April 1850 | |
| Antonio Varas | 19 April 1850– | |
| Minister of War & Navy | General José María de la Cruz | 18 September 1841–20 April 1842 |
| General José Santiago Aldunate | 20 April 1842–18 September 1846 | |
| General José Manuel Borgoño | 18 September 1846–8 April 1848 | |
| Pedro Nolasco Vidal | 8 April 1848–18 September 1851 | |
| Minister of Finance | Manuel Rengifo | 18 September 1841–10 April 1845 |
| José Joaquín Pérez | 10 April 1845–22 September 1846 | |
| Manuel Camilo Vial | 22 September 1846–9 May 1848 | |
| Salvador Sanfuentes | 9 May 1848–12 June 1849 | |
| Antonio García Reyes | 12 June 1849–19 April 1850 | |
| Jerónimo Urmeneta | 19 April 1850–7 May 1852 | |
| Minister of Justice, Clergy & Public Instruction | Manuel Montt | 27 March 1841–10 April 1845 |
| Antonio Varas | 10 April 1845–18 September 1846 | |
| Salvador Sanfuentes | 18 September 1846–12 June 1849 | |
| Manuel Antonio Tocornal | 12 June 1849–2 July 1850 | |
| Máximo Mujica | 2 July 1850–18 September 1851 | |
Sources[]
- Juan B. Alberdi, Biografia de general Bulnes (Santiago, 1846)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Moore, F., eds (1905). "article name needed". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
The original article can be found at Manuel Bulnes and the edit history here.