Background
Emiliano Figueroa Larraín was born in Santiago on 12 July 1866.
government official politician president
Emiliano Figueroa Larraín was born in Santiago on 12 July 1866.
He received his law degree at the University of Chile in 1889 and for some time thereafter served in the municipal government of Santiago.
In 1900 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, keeping that post until he became vice president (acting president) in 1910. He also served short periods as minister of justice and minister of the interior.
When President Pedro Montt Montt fell ill and abandoned the presidency, he was at first succeeded by Elias Fernández Albano. However, upon the death of Vice President Fernández, Emiliano Figueroa Larrain succeeded to that position, as minister of the interior. He served as vice president from September 6 through December 23, 1910. He presided over ceremonies celebrating the centenary of Chilean independence.
In 1911 Figueroa Larrain was named Chilean minister to Spain, and then in 1914 minister to Argentina, in which post he remained until 1920.
At the time of the second resignation of President Arturo Alessandri Palma on October 1, 1925, all existing parties organized a convention to select a nominee to oppose the candidacy of Colonel Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The convention chose Figueroa Larrain, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Although ex-President Alessandri warned Figueroa against naming Ibáñez minister of war, Figueroa submitted to military pressure and did put Ibáñez in that post. As a consequence, Ibáñez was in a position to make it almost impossible for President Figueroa Larrain to govern. Finally, in February 1927 he named Ibáñez minister of the interior, and two months later presented his resignation, leaving Ibáñez as vice president.