Claudio Huepe
Encyclopedia
Claudio Huepe García was a Chile
an politician
, engineer
and economist
, member of the Christian Democrat party, who occupied several government and political positions. During his career, he was the provincial governor of Arauco
, a member of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies
, a government minister, and the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela
. He was also among the first in his party to reject the 1973 coup by Pinochet and was exiled by the military dictatorship from 1975 until 1984.
The son of Luis Huepe Godoy and Marta García Norambuena, renowned businesspeople from Chillán
, he studied Industrial Civil Engineering
in the Universidad Católica de Chile and later obtained a master in economic development at the Center for Development Economics of Williams College
(Williamstown, Massachusetts
).
, he was named the provincial governor of the Province of Arauco
(1964–1968), the youngest to hold such position, at age of 24. After four years, he resigned to pursue a master in Economic Development in the United States at the Center for Development Economics of the Williams College
in Massachusetts
. He returned to Chile in 1969, and was soon elected as a representative (member of the Chamber of Deputies
) for the province of Arauco (1969–1973) with the support of the PDC (Chilean Christian Democrat Party
).
He was reelected in 1973, but his tenure was soon interrupted by the military coup against the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende
. Huepe soon expressed publicly his rejection to the coup and its interruption of the Chilean democratic tradition by signing the so-called Statement of the Group of Thirteen. As a consequence of his opposition to the military dictatorship, he was later detained and sent to the political prisoner camps of Tres Álamos and Ritoque for three months. He was then exiled, in 1975, living in England and Venezuela
until he was allowed to return to Chile in 1984, as the dictatorship slowly started to open-up politically.
and after returning to Chile, Claudio Huepe continued to be actively involved in politics
, working for the return of democracy
. As one of the most left-leaning Christian Democrats (a party that in Chile occupies the political center) he was instrumental in the formation of what later became the Concerted Parties for Democracy; the center-left coalition that defeated the dictatorship and has won all presidential elections since the military rule
ended in 1990.
With the return to democracy, in 1990, Claudio Huepe was elected again to the Chamber of Deputies
, for the same region he had represented before the coup, now District 46 (Lota, Lebu, Arauco, Curanilahue, Los Álamos, Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa), with a 35.93% of the votes.
In 1997, he was appointed Undersecretary
at the Ministry General Secretariat of Government (1997–2000) by President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
. In 2000, the newly elected President Ricardo Lagos
named him Minister Secretary-General of Government (2000–2002), While he succeeded as a cabinet-member in completing several important initiatives such as the Chilean Press
Law or the Freedom of Religion
Law, and in modernizing the image of the Chilean government, his work as the government spokesperson (an additional responsibility of this position) was considered opaque. He was replaced in 2002 by the Heraldo Muñoz
, of the Socialist Party
.
In 2005, he ran again as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies
to represent a different zone (District 41), but was not elected. He was later named Ambassador to Venezuela
by President Michelle Bachelet
, but presented his resignation in mid 2007, after accepting the political responsibility for unveiling a private conversation with the President on the Venezuelan television channel teleSur
regarding the 2006 Chilean vote for the United Nations Security Council
.
Claudio Huepe died of a heart attack on May 11, 2009, while visiting Caracas
, Venezuela
.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, member of the Christian Democrat party, who occupied several government and political positions. During his career, he was the provincial governor of Arauco
Arauco Province
Arauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur...
, a member of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
, a government minister, and the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. He was also among the first in his party to reject the 1973 coup by Pinochet and was exiled by the military dictatorship from 1975 until 1984.
The son of Luis Huepe Godoy and Marta García Norambuena, renowned businesspeople from Chillán
Chillán
Chillán is a city in the Biobío Region of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of Ñuble Province and, with a population of approximately 170,000 people , the most populated urban center of this province...
, he studied Industrial Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
in the Universidad Católica de Chile and later obtained a master in economic development at the Center for Development Economics of Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
(Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
).
Beginnings in politics
During the government of President Eduardo Frei MontalvaEduardo Frei Montalva
Eduardo Frei Montalva was a Chilean political leader of world stature. In his long political career, he was Minister of Public Works, president of his Christian Democratic Party, senator, President of the Senate, and president of Chile from 1964 to 1970...
, he was named the provincial governor of the Province of Arauco
Arauco Province
Arauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur...
(1964–1968), the youngest to hold such position, at age of 24. After four years, he resigned to pursue a master in Economic Development in the United States at the Center for Development Economics of the Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He returned to Chile in 1969, and was soon elected as a representative (member of the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
) for the province of Arauco (1969–1973) with the support of the PDC (Chilean Christian Democrat Party
Christian Democrat Party of Chile
The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....
).
He was reelected in 1973, but his tenure was soon interrupted by the military coup against the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
. Huepe soon expressed publicly his rejection to the coup and its interruption of the Chilean democratic tradition by signing the so-called Statement of the Group of Thirteen. As a consequence of his opposition to the military dictatorship, he was later detained and sent to the political prisoner camps of Tres Álamos and Ritoque for three months. He was then exiled, in 1975, living in England and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
until he was allowed to return to Chile in 1984, as the dictatorship slowly started to open-up politically.
Return to democracy
During his years of exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
and after returning to Chile, Claudio Huepe continued to be actively involved in politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, working for the return of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. As one of the most left-leaning Christian Democrats (a party that in Chile occupies the political center) he was instrumental in the formation of what later became the Concerted Parties for Democracy; the center-left coalition that defeated the dictatorship and has won all presidential elections since the military rule
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
ended in 1990.
With the return to democracy, in 1990, Claudio Huepe was elected again to the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
, for the same region he had represented before the coup, now District 46 (Lota, Lebu, Arauco, Curanilahue, Los Álamos, Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa), with a 35.93% of the votes.
In 1997, he was appointed Undersecretary
Undersecretary
An under secretary is an executive government official in many countries, frequently a career public servant, who typically acts as a senior administrator or second-in-command to a politically-appointed Cabinet Minister or other government official...
at the Ministry General Secretariat of Government (1997–2000) by President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who was President of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He is currently Senator for Los Ríos and was President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008. He attempted a comeback as the candidate of the ruling Concertación...
. In 2000, the newly elected President Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...
named him Minister Secretary-General of Government (2000–2002), While he succeeded as a cabinet-member in completing several important initiatives such as the Chilean Press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
Law or the Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
Law, and in modernizing the image of the Chilean government, his work as the government spokesperson (an additional responsibility of this position) was considered opaque. He was replaced in 2002 by the Heraldo Muñoz
Heraldo Muñoz
Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela is a Chilean politician and diplomat, the former Chilean Ambassador to the United Nations, and currently Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator, and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme.Muñoz was...
, of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
.
In 2005, he ran again as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
to represent a different zone (District 41), but was not elected. He was later named Ambassador to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
by President Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
, but presented his resignation in mid 2007, after accepting the political responsibility for unveiling a private conversation with the President on the Venezuelan television channel teleSur
TeleSUR
La Nueva Televisora del Sur is a pan-Latin American terrestrial and satellite television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. TeleSUR was launched with the objective of providing information to promote the integration of Latin America....
regarding the 2006 Chilean vote for the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
.
Claudio Huepe died of a heart attack on May 11, 2009, while visiting Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.