Federico Puga

In this Chilean name, the first or paternal surname is Puga and the second or maternal family name is Borne.

Federico Puga
Minister of the Interior
In office 16 June 1920 – 1 July 1920
President	Juan Luis Sanfuentes
Preceded by	Pedro Montenegro Onel
Succeeded by	Pedro García de la Huerta
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 12 June 1907 – 29 August 1908
President	Pedro Montt
Preceded by	Ricardo Salas Edwards
Succeeded by	José Rafael Balmaceda
In office 21 October 1905 – 7 May 1906
President	Germán Riesco
Preceded by	Agustín Edwards Mac Clure
Succeeded by	Antonio Huneeus
In office 27 June 1899 – 2 September 1899
President	Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Preceded by	Ventura Blanco
Succeeded by	Rafael Errázuriz Urmeneta
Member of the Senate
In office 1 June 1897 – 1908
Constituency	Ñuble Province
Minister of Justice and Public Instruction
In office 1896–1897
President	Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Preceded by	Adolfo Ibáñez Gutiérrez
Succeeded by	José Domingo Amunátegui
In office 11 June 1889 – 1889
President	José Manuel Balmaceda
Preceded by	Julio Bañados
Succeeded by	Isidoro Errázuriz
In office 13 April 1888 – 2 November 1888
President	José Manuel Balmaceda
Preceded by	Pedro Lucio Cuadra
Succeeded by	Julio Bañados
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 1 June 1888 – 31 May 1891
Constituency	San Felipe
In office 1 June 1885 – 31 May 1888
Constituency	Bulnes
In office 1 June 1879 – 31 May 1885
Constituency	Chillán
In office 1 June 1876 – 31 May 1879
Constituency	Parral
Personal details
Born	(1855-10-31)31 October 1855 Chillán, Chile
Died	13 August 1935(1935-08-13) (aged 79)
Party	Liberal Party
Parent(s)	Federico Puga Vidaurre Nieves Vitalia Borne Puga
Education	University of Chile
Profession	Physician

Federico Puga Borne (31 October 1855 – 13 August 1935) was a Chilean physician, professor and politician.

He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, as a member of the Senate for Ñuble Province, and several times as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior.

Early life

Puga was born in Chillán on 31 October 1855, the son of Federico Puga and Vitalia Borne. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and the University of Chile, qualifying as a physician and surgeon in 1878. His thesis, published in the university's Anales, examined Calystegia rosea, an indigenous plant of the Convolvulaceae family, from botanical, chemical, pharmaceutical and therapeutic perspectives.

He married Julia Vega Lizardi, with whom he had children.

In 1877, Puga was appointed an assistant at the National Museum, and the following year became director of the Museum of Valparaíso. He was concurrently appointed professor of physical geography, cosmography and natural history at the Liceo de Valparaíso. In 1882, he temporarily replaced Eduardo de la Barra as rector of the institution while de la Barra was serving on a diplomatic mission in Uruguay. Puga also received an award in 1878 for his work on the Chilean pharmacopoeia.

During the War of the Pacific, Puga was appointed head of the medical service of the Chilean expeditionary army in Peru in 1881. He participated in the battles of Chorrillos and Miraflores. After briefly returning to Chile, he rejoined the army in northern Peru and participated in the Arequipa campaign. He subsequently settled in Santiago, where he practiced medicine and became professor of forensic medicine and hygiene at the University of Chile.

Professional career

In 1892, Puga was appointed director of the newly established Institute of Hygiene. Two years later, he was elected secretary-general of the Second Scientific Congress, held in Santiago. In 1895, he represented Chile at the International Congress of Hygiene in Buenos Aires. After returning to Chile, he was elected president of the Scientific Society of Chile. He later presided over the Fourth Scientific Congress of Chile, held in Talca.

Puga was a prolific scientific author and published numerous books and pamphlets on medicine and related subjects, some of which were used for teaching and scientific dissemination. He also contributed articles on medical and scientific subjects to the press, with a publishing career that extended for more than half a century.

Political career

A member of the Liberal Party, Puga began his parliamentary career as a substitute deputy for Parral for the 1873–1876 term and was returned in the same capacity for the 1876–1879 term.

He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Chillán for the 1879–1882 term, serving on the Permanent Committee of Internal Police. Re-elected for Chillán for the 1882–1885 term, he served on the Permanent Committee of Ecclesiastical Affairs. From 1885 to 1888, he was a substitute deputy for Bulnes and served as a substitute member of the Permanent Committee of Education and Welfare.

Puga represented San Felipe as a deputy from 1888 to 1891 and served as a substitute member of the Permanent Committee of Government and Foreign Affairs.

In 1897, he was elected to the Senate for Ñuble Province, serving on the Permanent Committee of Foreign Affairs and as a substitute member of the Permanent Committee of War and Navy. He became vice president of the Senate on 6 March 1901.

Puga was re-elected senator for Ñuble for the 1903–1909 term. He again served as vice president of the Senate from 17 November 1905 and was a member of the Permanent Committee of Budgets. He also served on the committees of Foreign Affairs and War and Navy, chairing the latter, and was a substitute member of the Permanent Committee of Constitution, Legislation and Justice. He left the Senate in 1908 after accepting a diplomatic appointment, one year before the scheduled end of his term.

During his parliamentary career, Puga participated in debates concerning Chile's international boundary disputes and the reorganization of the Chilean Army.

Minister and diplomatic

Puga held ministerial office on numerous occasions, serving four times as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction, four times as Minister of Foreign Affairs and once as Minister of the Interior, spending a combined three years and four months as a minister of state. He first entered the cabinet on 13 April 1888.

In addition to his cabinet service, Puga pursued a diplomatic career. His acceptance of a diplomatic appointment in 1908 led to his resignation from the Senate.

In 1920, while traveling to Lima, the Chilean government entrusted Puga with a diplomatic mission to determine whether Peruvian president Augusto B. Leguía was willing to hold discussions with a Chilean representative concerning the longstanding Tacna–Arica dispute.

In 1925, Puga was selected to serve on the Electoral Qualification Tribunal. In 1929, he attended the official opening of the Bacteriological Institute.

Puga died on 13 August 1935.

External links

• BCN Profile