The Ministry of Public Works 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

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...

. 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

President of Chile

The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...

. The present (since March 11, 2010) Minister of Public Works is Mr Hernán de Solminihac and his Under-secretary is Ms Loreto Silva.

History

The office was first created by law of June 21, 1887, under President José Manuel Balmaceda

José Manuel Balmaceda

José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...

 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 June 21, 1887 - May 20, 1910
• Ministry of Industry, Public Works and Railroads May 20, 1910 - December 19, 1924
• Ministry of Public Works and Roads December 19, 1924 - March 21, 1925
• Ministry of Public Works, Commerce and Communication Roads March 21, 1925 - October 3, 1927
• Ministry of Foment October 3, 1927 - October 21, 1942
• Ministry of Public Works and Communication Roads October 21, 1942 - 1953
• Ministry of Public Works 1953 - December 13, 1967
• Ministry of Public Works and Transports December 13, 1967 - July 8, 1974
• Ministry of Public Works July 8, 1974 - present

Ministers of Industry and Public Works

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Notes	Appointed by
	Pedro Montt Montt Pedro Montt Pedro Elías Pablo Montt Montt was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile from 1906 to his death from a probable stroke in 1910...	June 28, 1887	April 13, 1888		José Manuel Balmaceda José Manuel Balmaceda José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
	Vicente Dávila Larraín	April 13, 1888	November 2, 1888
	Prudencio Lazcano Echaurren	November 2, 1888	January 21, 1889
	Enrique Salvador Sanfuentes Andonaegui	January 21, 1889	May 1, 1889
	Jorge Riesco Errázuriz	May 1, 1889	October 23, 1889
	Ramón Barros Luco Ramón Barros Luco Ramón Barros Luco was President of Chile between 1910 and 1915.Barros Luco was born in 1835 in Santiago, Barros Luco was son of Ramón Luis Barros Fernández and Dolores Luco Fernández de Leiva. He graduated from Law School in 1858...	October 23, 1889	November 7, 1889
	José Miguel Valdés Carrera José Miguel Valdés José Miguel Valdés Carrera was a Chilean political figure and liberal politician, who served several times as minister. José Miguel Valdés was of Basque descent by his mother's side....	November 7, 1889	August 7, 1890
	Macario Vial Guzmán	August 7, 1890	October 15, 1890
	Eulogio Allendes Álvarez de Toledo	October 15, 1890	December 6, 1890
	Guillermo Mackenna Serrano	December 6, 1890	March 29, 1891
	Nicanor Ugalde Godoy	March 29, 1891	August 29, 1891
	Agustín Edwards Ross Agustín Edwards Ross Agustín Edwards Ross was a Chilean businessman and politician....	September 7, 1891	March 14, 1892	Appointed by	Revolutionary Junta of Iquique Government Junta of Chile (1891) Revolutionary Junta of Iquique , was the political structure established to challenge the power of Chilean President José Manuel Balmaceda following the insurrection of the navy that started the Chilean Civil War...
				Reappointed by	Jorge Montt Jorge Montt Jorge Montt Álvarez was vice-admiral of the Chilean Navy and president of Chile from 1891 to 1896.-Early life:...
	Jorge Riesco Errázuriz	March 14, 1892	June 11, 1892
	Vicente Dávila Larraín	June 11, 1892	1894
	Manuel Antonio Prieto	1894	1894
	Elías Fernández Albano Elías Fernández Elías Fernández y Albano was a Chilean politician, who was acting president of Chile from August 6, 1910 until his death....	1894	1895
	Juan Miguel Dávila	1895	1895
	Elías Fernández Albano Elías Fernández Elías Fernández y Albano was a Chilean politician, who was acting president of Chile from August 6, 1910 until his death....	1895	September 18, 1896
	Francisco Baeza	September 18, 1896	1896		Federico Errázuriz Echaurren Federico Errázuriz Echaurren Federico Errázuriz Echaurren was a Chilean political figure. Born in Santiago, he served as President of Chile between 1896 and his death in 1901. Federico Errázuriz was of Basque descent.-Early life:...
	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 Codecido Emilio Bello Emilio Bello Codecido was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat and President of the Government Junta that ruled Chile in 1925.He was the son of Andrés Ricardo Bello, and grandson of Andres Bello. He did his early studies at the Colegio inglés, the Instituto Nacional and the Universidad de Chile, graduating...	1898	1898
	Arturo Alessandri Palma Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....	1898	1899
	Daniel Rioseco	1899	September 2, 1899
	Gregorio Pinochet Espinoza	September 2, 1899	† October 28, 1899	Died in office
	Florencio Valdés Cuevas	October 30, 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	September 18, 1901	Appointed by
				Reappointed by	Aníbal Zañartu Aníbal Zañartu Aníbal Zañartu Zañartu was a Chilean political figure. He served several times as minister and as Vice President in 1901....
	Ismael Tocornal Tocornal Ismael Tocornal Ismael Tocornal Tocornal, GCMG was a Chilean politician and diplomat, and the first Governor of the Central Bank of Chile....	September 18, 1901	1901		Germán Riesco Germán Riesco Germán Riesco Errázuriz was a Chilean political figure, and he served as President of Chile between 1901 and 1906.-Early life:...
	Rafael Orrego González	1901	1902
	José Joaquín Villarino Cabezón	1902	1902
	Agustín Gana Urzúa	1902	1903
	Francisco Rivas Vicuña	1903	1903
	Maximiliano Espinoza Pica	1903	1903
	Manuel Espinoza Jara	1903	May 12, 1904
	Carlos Gregorio Abalos Varela	May 12, 1904	June 1, 1904
	Francisco de Borja Valdés Cuevas	June 1, 1904	1904
	Anfión Muñoz Muñoz Anfión Muñoz Anfión Muñoz Muñoz was a Chilean political figure, who served as minister in 1904.Anfión Muñoz was born in Chillán, the son of Francisco Muñoz and of Clorinda Muñoz. He completed his studies at the Instituto Nacional and graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Chile on June 10, 1875...	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	September 18, 1906
	Eduardo Charme Fernández	September 18, 1906	October 29, 1906		Pedro Montt Pedro Montt Pedro Elías Pablo Montt Montt was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile from 1906 to his death from a probable stroke in 1910...
	Carlos Gregorio Abalos Varela	October 29, 1906	November 7, 1906
	Anselmo Hevia Riquelme	November 7, 1906	1907
	Gonzalo Urrejola Unzueta	1907	1907
	Joaquín Figueroa Larraín Joaquín Figueroa Joaquín Figueroa Larraín was a Chilean politician, and brother of President Emiliano Figueroa.-Biography:Figueroa was born in Santiago, the son of Francisco de Paula Figueroa Araoz and of Rosalía Larraín Echeverría. He studied at the San Ignacio School and then went on to study law at the...	1907	August 29, 1908
	Guillermo Echavarría	August 29, 1908	January 22, 1909
	Manuel Espinoza Jara	January 22, 1909	June 15, 1909
	Pedro García de la Huerta	June 15, 1909	September 15, 1909
	Eduardo Délano	September 15, 1909	June 25, 1910

Ministers of Industry, Public Works and Railroads

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Notes	Appointed by
	Fidel Muñoz Rodríguez Fidel Muñoz Fidel Alexander Monterrosa Muñoz is a professional Colombian boxer in the Light Welterweight division and is the former Colombian National Lightweight champion.-Professional career:...	June 25, 1910	November 10, 1910	Appointed by	Pedro Montt Pedro Montt Pedro Elías Pablo Montt Montt was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile from 1906 to his death from a probable stroke in 1910...
				Reappointed by	Elías Fernández Albano Elías Fernández Elías Fernández y Albano was a Chilean politician, who was acting president of Chile from August 6, 1910 until his death....
				Reappointed by	Emiliano Figueroa Emiliano Figueroa Emiliano Figueroa Larraín was President of Chile from December 23, 1925 until his resignation on May 10, 1927. He also served as Acting president for a few months on 1910.-Biography:...
	Beltrán Mathieu Andrews	November 10, 1910	December 23, 1910
	Ismael Valdés Vergara	December 23, 1910	1911		Ramón Barros Luco Ramón Barros Luco Ramón Barros Luco was President of Chile between 1910 and 1915.Barros Luco was born in 1835 in Santiago, Barros Luco was son of Ramón Luis Barros Fernández and Dolores Luco Fernández de Leiva. He graduated from Law School in 1858...
	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	December 23, 1915
	Roberto Guzmán Montt	December 23, 1915	1916		Juan Luis Sanfuentes Juan Luis Sanfuentes Juan Luis Sanfuentes Andonaegui was President of Chile between 1915 and 1920. He was son of writer and politician Salvador Sanfuentes Torres and Matilde Andonaegui....
	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 Luco	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	December 23, 1920
	Zenón Torrealba Ilabaca	December 23, 1920	1921		Arturo Alessandri Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
	Artemio Gutiérrez	1921	1921
	Armando Jaramillo Valderrama	1921	1922
	Pedro Fajardo Pedro Fajardo .Pedro Fajardo de Zúñiga y Requesens , Viceroy of Valencia, 1631–1635, Viceroy of Navarre, 1638–1640, dismissed Viceroy of Catalonia, 1640–1642, to be replaced as Viceroy of Catalonia by Pedro Antonio de Aragón, 1642–1644, Ambassador at Rome, and Viceroy of Sicily, 1644 - Palermo, Sicily, 3...	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	October 17, 1924	December 19, 1924		September Junta Government Junta of Chile (1924) Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to rule Chile following the military coup that overthrew President Arturo Alessandri...
	Luis Molina Gómez	December 19, 1924	January 23, 1925
	Francisco Mardones Otaíza	January 29, 1925	August 27, 1925	Appointed by	January Junta Government Junta of Chile (1925) Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to restore power to President Arturo Alessandri, after he had been deposed in 1924. On January 23, 1925, a military movement of young officers, wrestled power from the previous September Junta...
				Reappointed by	Arturo Alessandri Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
	Gustavo Lira Manso	August 27, 1925	October 2, 1925

Ministers of Public Works, Commerce and Communication Roads

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Notes	Appointed by
	Alejandro García Castelblanco	October 2, 1925	December 23, 1925		Arturo Alessandri Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
	Angel Guarello Costa	December 23, 1925	November 20, 1926		Emiliano Figueroa Emiliano Figueroa Emiliano Figueroa Larraín was President of Chile from December 23, 1925 until his resignation on May 10, 1927. He also served as Acting president for a few months on 1910.-Biography:...
	Julio Velasco Julio Velasco Julio Velasco is a professional volleyball coach from Argentina, who guided the Italian national men's team to several successes in the 1990s. After the 1996 Summer Olympics, where the Italians won silver, he switched to the Italian women's team...	November 20, 1926	May 23, 1927
	Emiliano Ortiz Vega	May 23, 1927	September 6, 1927		Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
	Enrique Balmaceda Toro Enrique Balmaceda Enrique Balmaceda , born José Enrique Balmaceda Toro, was a Chilean politician, diplomat and son of President José Manuel Balmaceda...	September 6, 1927	September 29, 1927	Interim

Ministers of Foment

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Notes	Appointed by
	Adolfo Ibáñez Boggiano	September 29, 1927	February 22, 1929		Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
	Conrado Ríos Gallardo	February 22, 1929	February 24, 1929	Interim
	Luis Schmidt Quezada	February 24, 1929	August 23, 1929
	Emiliano Bustos	August 23, 1929	July 23, 1930
	Edecio Torreblanca	July 23, 1930	August 29, 1930
	Luis Matte Larraín	August 29, 1930	November 27, 1930
	Edecio Torreblanca	November 27, 1930	July 13, 1931
	Francisco Cereceda Cisternas	July 13, 1931	July 21, 1931
	Alejandro García Castelblanco	July 23, 1931	July 26, 1931
	Luis Gutiérrez Allende	July 26, 1931	July 27, 1931		Pedro Opazo Pedro Opazo Pedro Opazo Letelier was a Chilean politician and provisional vice president of Chile in 1931.He was born in Talca, the son of Ursicino Opazo and Margarita Letelier. He completed his studies in his native city, and then attended the Universidad de Chile, where he became a physician...
	Francisco Cereceda Cisternas	July 27, 1931	August 21, 1931	Appointed by	Juan Esteban Montero Juan Esteban Montero Juan Esteban Montero Rodríguez was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as president of Chile between 1931 and 1932.-Early life:...
				Reappointed by	Manuel Trucco Manuel Trucco Manuel Trucco Franzani was a Chilean politician and provisional vice president of Chile in 1931.He was born in Cauquenes, the son of Napoleón Trucco Morano and of María Franzani Monigette. He completed his studies in his native city, and at the Instituto Nacional...
	Luis Alamos Barros	August 21, 1931	September 3, 1931
	Enrique Matta Figueroa	September 3, 1931	November 15, 1931	Appointed by
				Reappointed by	Juan Esteban Montero Juan Esteban Montero Juan Esteban Montero Rodríguez was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as president of Chile between 1931 and 1932.-Early life:...
	Hernán Echeverría Cazotte	November 15, 1931	April 7, 1932
	Marco Antonio de la Cuadra	April 7, 1932	June 4, 1932
	Víctor Navarrete Senn	June 5, 1932	September 13, 1932	Appointed by	Socialist Junta Government Junta of Chile (1932) Government Junta of Chile , was a political structure established during the anarchy that followed the resignation of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo...
				Reappointed by	Carlos Dávila Carlos Dávila Carlos Gregorio Dávila Espinoza , was a Chilean political figure, Chairman of Government Junta of Chile in 1932, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1954 until his death in 1955.-Early life:...
	Gustavo Lira Manso	September 14, 1932	October 2, 1932		Bartolomé Blanche Bartolomé Blanche General Bartolomé Guillermo Blanche Espejo was a Chilean military officer and provisional president of Chile in 1932....
	Miguel Chamorro Araya	October 3, 1932	December 24, 1932		Abraham Oyanedel Abraham Oyanedel Abraham Oyanedel Urrutia was president of Chile in 1932.He studied law at the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, and in 1897 received his law degree. During the Chilean Civil War in 1891, Oyanedel fought for the Congressional army.In 1927, he was appointed a member of the Supreme Court of Chile ,...
	Alfredo Piwonka Jilabert	December 24, 1932	May 9, 1933		Arturo Alessandri Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
	Domingo Santa María Sánchez	May 9, 1933	October 31, 1933
	Matías Silva Sepúlveda	October 31, 1933	September 12, 1936
	Luis Alamos Barros	September 12, 1936	May 26, 1937
	Ricardo Bascuñán Stonner	May 26, 1937	December 24, 1938
	Arturo Bianchi Gundián	December 24, 1938	December 25, 1939		Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...
	Oscar Schnacke Vergara	December 25, 1939	December 16, 1941	Appointed by
				Reappointed by	Jerónimo Méndez Jerónimo Méndez Jerónimo Méndez Arancibia was a Chilean politician who served as provisional president.He was born in Chañaral, where he completed his secondary studies. In 1914 he graduated as an MD from the Universidad de Chile. President Pedro Aguirre Cerda appointed him Minister of the Interior...
	Rolando Merino Reyes Rolando Meriño Rolando Meriño Betancourt is a baseball player for Cuba. He was born at February 17, 1971 in Santiago de Cuba and was part of the Cuban teams which won silver medals at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics.-References:...	December 16, 1941	April 2, 1942
	Oscar Schnacke Vergara	April 2, 1942	1942		Juan Antonio Ríos Juan Antonio Ríos Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...

External links

• Official Website of Public Works of Chile