Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
| Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
August 25, 1831 Santiago, Chile |
| Died | January 25, 1886 (aged 54) Santa Rosa de Colmo, Chile |
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (August 25, 1831 – January 25, 1886) was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent.
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was born in Santiago, the son of Pedro Félix Vicuña and Carmen Mackenna Vicuña, and grandson of General Juan Mackenna, hero of the Chilean War of Independence. He studied in Santiago, and joined the school of law in 1849. From the beginning of his career he contributed to La Tribuna newspaper, writing political articles. In 1851 he participated in Pedro Urriola’s revolution against the government but was taken prisoner during the attack on the headquarters of the Chacabuco Regiment. On 4 July 1851 Vicuña Mackenna and Roberto Souper managed to escape from the prison disguised as women. In 1852 he lived in exile in the United States, and travelled from San Francisco through Mexico and Canada. A year later he studied agronomy in England, and then visited many parts of Europe including Ireland.
Back in Chile, in 1856 Vicuña Mackenna graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Chile. Although he did not practice as a barrister, his political and other writings were solidly based on legal knowledge. Together with Isidoro Errázuriz, in 1858 Vicuña Mackenna founded the newspaper La Asamblea Constitucional. He was expelled by the government and exiled to England, but was allowed to return in 1863. That year he began contributing to El Mercurio newspaper. In 1865 he was in New York as envoy of the Chilean government, and founded La Voz de América newspaper. Elected national senator for a six-year term, in 1872 Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was also appointed mayor of Santiago. His political career was interrupted in 1875 when he was defeated by Federico Errázuriz Zañartu in the Chilean presidential elections. He dedicated his life to journalism and writing, and in 1880 edited El Nuevo Ferrocarril and La Nación.
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