Background
Pedro Montt was born on 29 June 1846 in Santiago de Chile. Son of President Manuel Montt Torres.
Pedro Montt was born on 29 June 1846 in Santiago de Chile. Son of President Manuel Montt Torres.
He received his law degree from the University of Chile in 1870.
Nine years later he was elected a National Party member of the Chamber of Deputies, where he remained until his election as senator in 1900, a position he held until he became president. For several years he was president of the Chamber of Deputies.
During the presidency of José Manuel Balmaceda Fernández Montt held several cabinet posts. However, he sided with the congressional rebels in the Civil War of 1891 and visited the United States and several European countries as a representative of the rebel Government Junta. Subsequently, he became president of the National Party and was minister of interior in the cabinet of President Jorge Montt Alvarez.
Pedro Montt ran for president for the first time in 1901, as candidate of the coalition consisting of his own National Party and the Conservative Party, but was defeated. Five years later, he ran successfully as nominee of the Liberal Alliance, which the National Party had by that time joined.
President Montt resigned the presidency in July 1910 for health reasons and went to Europe for medical treatment. He died in August in Bremen, Germany.