Roberto Wachholtz
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Roberto Wachholtz Araya | |
|---|---|
 Roberto Wachholtz Araya as senator | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 11 March 1959 – 15 May 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez |
| Constituency | 4th Provincial Group, Santiago |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 3 November 1946 – 10 January 1947 | |
| President | Gabriel González Videla |
| Preceded by | Arturo Maschke |
| Succeeded by | Germán Picó Cañas |
| In office 24 December 1938 – 26 December 1939 | |
| President | Pedro Aguirre Cerda |
| Preceded by | Francisco Garcés Gana |
| Succeeded by | Pedro E. Alfonso |
| Minister of Economy and Commerce | |
| In office 3 November 1946 – 10 January 1947 | |
| President | Gabriel González Videla |
| Preceded by | Óscar Gajardo Villarroel |
| Succeeded by | Luis Bossay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 July 1899 |
| Died | 21 May 1980 (aged 80) |
| Party | Radical Party |
| Spouse | Senta Buchholtz Kern |
| Children | 7 |
| Parent(s) | Máximo Wachholtz and Elvira Araya |
| Relatives | Jorge Wachholtz (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Profession | Civil engineer and politician |
Francisco Alejandro Roberto Wachholtz Araya (19 July 1899 – 21 May 1980) was a Chilean civil engineer and politician, member of the Radical Party of Chile. He served as Minister of Finance under Presidents Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Gabriel González Videla, and later as Senator of the Republic for Santiago between 1959 and 1965.[1]
He was born in Tacna, Chile, on 19 July 1899, son of Máximo Wachholtz and Elvira Araya. His brother Jorge Wachholtz was senator and intendant of Tarapacá during the first government of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.[2]
He studied at the Tacna Lyceum, the Iquique Lyceum, and the University of Chile, graduating as an engineer in 1925 with the thesis Electrificación de Ferrocarriles.[1]
He married Senta Buchholtz Kern,[2] with whom he had seven children.[1]
Professional career
Wachholtz worked as an engineer in Santiago in the firm “Barriga, Wachholtz y Alessandri” from 1925 to 1932.[1] He was one of the organizers of the Chilean Petroleum Company (Copec), where he served until 1935.[1]
That same year he partnered with Carlos Alessandri Altamirano under “Wachholtz y Alessandri,” building important infrastructure works such as Tocopilla’s water supply, the Cocule–Lago Ranco rail branch, the Corte Alto–Maullín line, the Iquique–Pintados railway workshops, and later the Matucana rail variant in Santiago.[1]
In 1946 he was appointed president of the «Corporación de Reconstrucción y Auxilio», of the Corporation of Nitrate and Iodine Sales, and of the Council of the Civil Servants’ Fund. In the private sector he was director of Viñas Unidas S.A., Tejidos y Vestuarios S.A. and Yarur S.A.[1]
He also dedicated himself to agriculture, owning the “Tipaume” farm near Rosario, dedicated to fruit plantations and crops.[1] He was a member of the Chilean Institute of Engineers, of the Club de La Unión, and of the National Agriculture Society (SNA).[1]