Juan Carlos García Pérez de Arce, a former Minister of Public Works.
The Ministry of Public Works (Spanish: Ministerio de Obras Públicas ) is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of "planning, directing, controlling and building the public infrastructure, as well as the conservation and management of them" within Chile . It is also responsible for the "management, distribution, use and conservation" of all the water resources within the country. They answer directly to the President of Chile . Since 10 March 2023, the Minister of Public Works is Jessica López .
History
The office was first created by law of 21 June 1887, under President José Manuel Balmaceda as the Ministry of Industry and Public Works . Since then it has undergone several reorganizations during its history, reflected in its different names:
Ministry of Industry and Public Works 21 June 1887 - 20 May 1910
Ministry of Industry, Public Works and Railroads 20 May 1910 - 19 December 1924
Ministry of Public Works and Roads 19 December 1924 - 21 March 1925
Ministry of Public Works, Commerce and Communication Roads 21 March 1925 - 3 October 1927
Ministry of Foment 3 October 1927 - 21 October 1942
Ministry of Public Works and Communication Roads 21 October 1942 – 1953
Ministry of Public Works 1953 - 13 December 1967
Ministry of Public Works and Transport 13 December 1967 - 8 July 1974
Ministry of Public Works 8 July 1974 – present
Titulars
Ministers of Industry and Public Works
Picture
Name
Entered Office
Exited Office
Notes
Appointed by
Pedro Montt Montt
28 June 1887
13 April 1888
José Manuel Balmaceda
Vicente Dávila Larraín
13 April 1888
2 November 1888
Prudencio Lazcano Echaurren
2 November 1888
21 January 1889
Enrique Salvador Sanfuentes Andonaegui
21 January 1889
1 May 1889
Jorge Riesco Errázuriz
1 May 1889
23 October 1889
Ramón Barros Luco
23 October 1889
7 November 1889
José Miguel Valdés Carrera
7 November 1889
7 August 1890
Macario Vial Guzmán
7 August 1890
15 October 1890
Eulogio Allendes Álvarez de Toledo
15 October 1890
6 December 1890
Guillermo Mackenna Serrano
6 December 1890
29 March 1891
Nicanor Ugalde Godoy
29 March 1891
29 August 1891
Agustín Edwards Ross
7 September 1891
14 March 1892
Appointed by
Revolutionary Junta of Iquique
Reappointed by
Jorge Montt Álvarez
Jorge Riesco Errázuriz
14 March 1892
11 June 1892
Vicente Dávila Larraín
11 June 1892
1894
Manuel Antonio Prieto
1894
1894
Elías Fernández Albano
1894
1895
Juan Miguel Dávila
1895
1895
Elías Fernández Albano
1895
18 September 1896
Francisco Baeza
18 September 1896
1896
Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Francisco de Borja Valdés Cuevas
1896
1897
Belisario Prats Bello
1897
1897
Domingo Toro Herrera
1897
1897
Emilio Orrego Luco
1897
1897
Julio Bañados Espinoza
1897
1898
Emilio Bello Codesido
1898
1898
Arturo Alessandri Palma
1898
1899
Daniel Rioseco
1899
2 September 1899
Gregorio Pinochet Espinoza
2 September 1899
died 28 October 1899
Died in office
Florencio Valdés Cuevas
30 October 1899
1900
Abraham Gacitúa Brieva
1900
1900
Rafael Orrego González
1900
1900
Manuel Covarrubias
1900
1901
José Ramón Nieto
1901
1901
Joaquín Fernández Blanco
1901
18 September 1901
Appointed by
Reappointed by
Aníbal Zañartu
Ismael Tocornal Tocornal
18 September 1901
1901
Germán Riesco Errázuriz
Rafael Orrego González
1901
1902
José Joaquín Villarino Cabezón
5 May 1902
1902
Agustín Gana Urzúa
1902
1903
Francisco Rivas Vicuña
1903
1903
Maximiliano Espinoza Pica
1903
1903
Manuel Espinoza Jara
1903
12 May 1904
Carlos Gregorio Abalos Varela
12 May 1904
1 June 1904
Francisco de Borja Valdés Cuevas
1 June 1904
1904
Anfión Muñoz Muñoz
1904
1904
Eduardo Charme Fernández
1904
1905
Enrique Villegas Encalada
1905
1905
José Ramón Gutiérrez
1905
1906
Ramón Antonio Vergara Donoso
1906
1906
Abraham Ovalle Ovalle
1906
18 September 1906
Eduardo Charme Fernández
18 September 1906
29 October 1906
Pedro Montt Montt
Carlos Gregorio Abalos Varela
29 October 1906
7 November 1906
Anselmo Hevia Riquelme
7 November 1906
1907
Gonzalo Urrejola Unzueta
1907
1907
Joaquín Figueroa Larraín
1907
29 August 1908
Guillermo Echavarría
29 August 1908
22 January 1909
Manuel Espinoza Jara
22 January 1909
15 June 1909
Pedro García de la Huerta
15 June 1909
15 September 1909
Eduardo Délano
15 September 1909
25 June 1910
Ministers of Industry, Public Works and Railroads
Picture
Name
Entered Office
Exited Office
Notes
Appointed by
Fidel Muñoz Rodríguez
25 June 1910
10 November 1910
Appointed by
Pedro Montt
Reappointed by
Elías Fernández Albano
Reappointed by
Emiliano Figueroa
Beltrán Mathieu Andrews
10 November 1910
23 December 1910
Ismael Valdés Vergara
23 December 1910
1911
Ramón Barros Luco
Javier Gandarillas Matta
1911
1911
Enrique Zañartu Prieto
1911
1912
Abraham Ovalle Ovalle
1912
1912
Belfor Fernández
1912
1912
Oscar Viel Cavero
1912
1913
Enrique Zañartu Prieto
1913
1914
Absalón Valencia
1914
1914
Julio Garcés
1914
1914
Cornelio Saavedra Montt
1914
1915
Fernando Freire
1915
1915
Pedro Felipe Iñiguez
1915
23 December 1915
Roberto Guzmán Montt
23 December 1915
1916
Juan Luis Sanfuentes
Angel Guarello Costa
1916
1916
Justiniano Sotomayor Guzmán
1916
1916
Ramón León Luco
1916
1917
Alberto González Errázuriz
1917
1917
Malaquías Concha Ortiz
1917
1918
Francisco Landa Zárate
1918
1918
Ramón Briones
1918
1918
Francisco Landa Zárate
1918
1918
Vicente Adrián Villalobos
1918
1919
Manuel O'Ryan Carrasco
1919
1919
Malaquías Concha Ortiz
1919
1919
Oscar Dávila Izquierdo
1919
1920
Malaquías Concha Ortiz
1920
1920
Armando Jaramillo Valderrama
1920
23 December 1920
Zenón Torrealba Ilabaca
23 December 1920
1921
Arturo Alessandri
Artemio Gutiérrez
1921
1921
Armando Jaramillo Valderrama
1921
1922
Pedro Fajardo
1922
1922
Miguel Letelier Espínola
1922
1922
Absalón Valencia
1922
1923
Róbinson Paredes Pacheco
1923
1923
Vicente Adrián Villalobos
1923
1923
Juan Vargas Márquez
1923
1923
Francisco Mardones Otaíza
1923
1924
Vicente Adrián Villalobos
1924
1924
Róbinson Paredes Pacheco
1924
1924
Guillermo Bañados
1924
1924
Angel Guarello Costa
1924
1924
Ministers of Public Works and Roads
Picture
Name
Entered Office
Exited Office
Notes
Appointed by
Oscar Dávila Izquierdo
17 October 1924
19 December 1924
September Junta
Luis Molina Gómez
19 December 1924
23 January 1925
Francisco Mardones Otaíza
29 January 1925
27 August 1925
Appointed by
January Junta
Reappointed by
Arturo Alessandri
Gustavo Lira Manso
27 August 1925
2 October 1925
Ministers of Public Works, Commerce and Communication Roads
Picture
Name
Entered Office
Exited Office
Notes
Appointed by
Alejandro García Castelblanco
2 October 1925
23 December 1925
Arturo Alessandri
Angel Guarello Costa
23 December 1925
20 November 1926
Emiliano Figueroa
Julio Velasco
20 November 1926
23 May 1927
Emiliano Ortiz Vega
23 May 1927
6 September 1927
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Enrique Balmaceda Toro
6 September 1927
29 September 1927
Interim
Ministers of Foment
Picture
Name
Entered Office
Exited Office
Notes
Appointed by
Adolfo Ibáñez Boggiano
29 September 1927
22 February 1929
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Conrado Ríos Gallardo
22 February 1929
24 February 1929
Interim
Luis Schmidt Quezada
24 February 1929
23 August 1929
Emiliano Bustos
23 August 1929
23 July 1930
Edecio Torreblanca
23 July 1930
29 August 1930
Luis Matte Larraín
29 August 1930
27 November 1930
Edecio Torreblanca
27 November 1930
13 July 1931
Francisco Cereceda Cisternas
13 July 1931
21 July 1931
Alejandro García Castelblanco
23 July 1931
26 July 1931
Luis Gutiérrez Allende
26 July 1931
27 July 1931
Pedro Opazo
Francisco Cereceda Cisternas
27 July 1931
21 August 1931
Appointed by
Juan Esteban Montero
Reappointed by
Manuel Trucco
Luis Alamos Barros
21 August 1931
3 September 1931
Enrique Matta Figueroa
3 September 1931
15 November 1931
Appointed by
Reappointed by
Juan Esteban Montero
Hernán Echeverría Cazotte
15 November 1931
7 April 1932
Marco Antonio de la Cuadra
7 April 1932
4 June 1932
Víctor Navarrete Senn
5 June 1932
13 September 1932
Appointed by
Government Junta of Chile (1932)
Reappointed by
Carlos Dávila
Gustavo Lira Manso
14 September 1932
2 October 1932
Bartolomé Blanche
Miguel Chamorro Araya
3 October 1932
24 December 1932
Abraham Oyanedel
Alfredo Piwonka Jilabert
24 December 1932
9 May 1933
Arturo Alessandri
Domingo Santa María Sánchez
9 May 1933
31 October 1933
Matías Silva Sepúlveda
31 October 1933
12 September 1936
Luis Alamos Barros
12 September 1936
26 May 1937
Ricardo Bascuñán Stonner
26 May 1937
24 December 1938
Arturo Bianchi Gundián
24 December 1938
25 December 1939
Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Oscar Schnacke Vergara
25 December 1939
16 December 1941
Appointed by
Reappointed by
Jerónimo Méndez
Rolando Meriño Reyes
16 December 1941
2 April 1942
Oscar Schnacke Vergara
2 April 1942
1942
Juan Antonio Ríos
See also
Sources
República de Chile (1942). "VI. Poder Ejecutivo - Nómina de Gobernantes, Presidentes y Ministros desde la Independencia.". Manual del Senado. 1810-1942 (PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Universitaria. {{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) (in Spanish)
Valencia Avaria, Luis (1986). Anales de la República: textos constitucionales de Chile y registro de los ciudadanos que han integrado los poderes ejecutivo y legislativo desde 1810 (in Spanish) (2ª edición ed.). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello. {{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) (in Spanish)
External links