Ricardo García Rodríguez

Rodríguez was born in Valparaíso on 3 December 1930, the son of Juan Facundo Severo García Luco and María Carolina Rodríguez Barros.^[3] He completed his primary and secondary education at the Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones in Valparaíso, where he received all the school’s distinctions.^[4]

While studying at the Sagrados Corazones school, he met Carlos Cáceres Contreras, who would later become his student when Rodríguez taught law at the School of Business in the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.^[4]

During his youth, he was a member of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC).^[5] Later, on 13 February 1985, he was appointed Minister of the Interior by General Augusto Pinochet, a move that came as a surprise given his limited prior experience in politics.^[5]

As the successor to Sergio Onofre Jarpa, during his first month in office he had to confront the Caso Degollados, which culminated in the resignation of the Director General of Carabineros, César Mendoza. In 1986, he also faced the Caso Quemados,^[4] in which Rodrigo Rojas de Negri was killed and Carmen Gloria Quintana suffered severe burns,^[4] as well as the assassination attempt against Augusto Pinochet, after which he decreed a state of siege.^[6]

On the other hand, during his tenure new laws were enacted on political parties, elections and vote counting, and electoral registers, as well as legislation establishing the Electoral Qualification Courts and the law governing the National Congress of Chile.^[4] In addition, in April 1987, he was responsible for coordinating the visit of Pope John Paul II.^[4]

On 11 July 1987, he assumed office as Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until 21 November 1988. The following year, he was appointed a member of the Constitutional Court, where he served until 1997.^[3]