Maximiano Errázuriz

Maximiano Errázuriz Valdivieso (February 21, 1832 – November 17, 1890) was a Chilean politician, industrialist and winemaker of Basque descent.

Maximiano Errazuriz was born in Santiago, in 1832, the son of Francisco Javier de Errázuriz y Aldunate and of his second wife, Rosario Fernández de Valdivieso y Zañartu (sister to Archbishop Rafael Valentín Valdivieso). Maximiano Errazuriz studied in Santiago and later settled in Valparaíso, Chile, which at the time was one of the main ports of Chile and South America. There he met his future wife, Amalia Urmeneta Quiroga, daughter of José Tomás Urmeneta, who was the wealthiest man in the country. Maximiano and Amalia were married in 1855, when she was 18 and he was 22 years old.

Soon after the marriage, Maximiano Errazuriz entered into a partnership with his father-in-law to form a copper producing company. Copper is one of Chile's most important natural resources, and at one time, their company accounted for one third of the world's total copper production. A year later, in 1856, Maximiano Errazuriz formed the Santiago Gas Company (Spanish: Compañía de Gas de Santiago), a company which was responsible for establishing street lighting in the capital city of Santiago.

A few years later, the couple moved to Guayacán, in the northern part of the country. There, Maximiano managed the mining company's production and business operations. But the move to Guayacán proved tragic. While pregnant with her fourth child, health problems forced Amalia to return to Santiago and live with her mother-in-law. She never recovered completely after the birth of their son Rafael. Amalia died in 1861, at the young age of 24.

After Amalia's death, Maximiano Errazuriz placed his children under the care of his mother and moved from the North back to Valparaíso to be near them and still manage his business. His family was concerned about his grief for his wife. To help him, they encouraged Maximiano to embark on a yearlong journey across Europe, where he was able to reinvigorate his interest in history and the arts.

Maximiano Errazuriz participated actively in Chile's public life. As a young man of 25, he served for the first time in the Chamber of Deputies. He was elected representative for three periods and subsequently Senator of the Republic for nine years. He also participated actively as a representative of the Chilean government on diplomatic tasks in the United States and in the United Kingdom. On one occasion, he showed his undying commitment to his country by backing Chilean government dealings with his own personal finances.

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