Agustín Edwards Eastman facts for kids
Agustín Iván Edmundo Edwards Eastman (born November 24, 1927 – died April 24, 2017) was a very important newspaper publisher in Chile. He was also one of the richest people in the country.
Agustín Edwards inherited his family's newspaper company, El Mercurio SAP, when his father passed away in 1956. This company publishes some of Chile's most important national newspapers, like El Mercurio and La Segunda. He was known for his strong right-wing views. Throughout his time as a publisher, he used his newspapers to influence what people thought in Chile. He supported the military takeover in 1973 that removed the socialist President Salvador Allende from power.
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Early Life and School
Agustín Edwards was born in Paris, France, in 1927. His father was Agustín Edwards Budge, and his mother was Mary Elizabeth Eastman Beeche. His family had a long history in Chile, including his grandfather, Agustin Edwards Mac-Clure, who was also a well-known figure.
Agustín went to school in London at Heatherdown School. Later, he graduated from The Grange School in Santiago, Chile. He then studied international relations at Princeton University in the United States, finishing his degree in 1949 with honors. After that, he studied law at the University of Chile.
Journalism and Family Business
Agustín Edwards started his career as a reporter. He worked for the International Herald Tribune in Paris and for The Times in London. After gaining experience, he returned to Chile to join his family's company, El Mercurio SAP. He first worked in the international news section and later became an assistant editor.
Soon, Agustín also became involved in other family businesses. These included Banco A. Edwards, one of Chile's oldest banks. This bank was started in 1867 by his great-great-grandfather, Agustin Edwards Ossandon, who was a very wealthy man and started many successful businesses.
Newspaper Publisher
In 1968, Agustín Edwards was chosen to be the president of the Inter-American Press Association. This group works to support newspapers and journalists in North and South America. He helped create a special committee within the association that focused on press freedom, which means the right for newspapers to report news without being controlled by the government. He also led other groups, like the Diarios America Group.
In 1970, Agustín Edwards met with important US officials, including Henry Kissinger. He asked for their financial help to try and stop Salvador Allende, who was a socialist, from becoming president of Chile. Records show that Edwards wanted the US to help with a military takeover to prevent Allende from taking office. He also shared important information with the US about Chilean military officers and government officials who might help with such a plan.
Over the next year, Edwards received money to use his newspapers to create problems for Chile's democratic government. After the military takeover on September 11, 1973, Edwards' newspapers published stories that supported the new government led by General Augusto Pinochet. His newspapers did not always report the full truth about what happened during this difficult time in Chile, including some human rights issues.
Even after the military takeover, Edwards' newspapers continued to receive financial support from the US. This help was meant to support the new government. It wasn't until 1991, when a report called the Rettig Report was released, that El Mercurio stopped using certain phrases to describe people who had disappeared during Pinochet's rule.
A Chilean documentary film from 2008, called Agustín's Newspaper, showed examples of misleading information in Edwards' publications. Because of his actions, Agustín Edwards was removed from the Chilean Order of Journalists in 2015. They said he showed a "serious lack of ethics" because of his role in trying to remove Allende from power and for how his newspapers reported on certain events during Pinochet's time.
Personal Life
Agustín Edwards was married to María Luisa del Río Fernández. They had six children: Agustín, Isabel, Carolina, Cristián, André, and Felipe. Interestingly, one of his sisters, Sonia, supported President Allende and a different political movement. They never fully made up before she passed away in 2003.
Agustín Edwards loved sailing and owned many yachts throughout his life. He was known for building a very famous "superyacht" called Anakena.
He also had a great passion for landscaping and gardens. He created beautiful gardens on two private islands he owned, one in southern Chile and another in Maine, USA. He even worked with a famous landscape architect named Russell Page.
Helping Others
Agustín Edwards was very active in helping others and supporting community groups in Chile. He started the Paz Ciudadana Foundation, which is an organization that works to fight against drugs and violent crime.
He was also involved with other groups, such as Hogar de Cristo, which helps people living in poverty. He was an advisor for this non-profit organization. He was also the president of the Claudio Gay Foundation, which teaches people about Chile's native plants. Another group he supported was the País Digital Foundation.
Through his friendship with David Rockefeller Sr., Agustín Edwards also supported and was a member of two important Latin American initiatives in the United States: The Americas Society and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) at Harvard University. He also supported museums in both Chile and the US, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
See also
In Spanish: Agustín Edwards Eastman para niños
