Claudio Huepe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claudio Huepe García
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| Born | December 25, 1939 Chillán, Chile
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| Died | May 11, 2009 (aged 69) |
Claudio Huepe García (born December 25, 1939 – died May 11, 2009) was an important Chilean politician, engineer, and economist. He was a member of the Christian Democrat party and held many important jobs in the government and in politics. During his career, he was a provincial leader, a member of the Chilean Parliament (called the Chamber of Deputies), a government minister, and even Chile's ambassador to Venezuela. He was also one of the first people in his party to speak out against the military takeover in 1973. Because of this, he was forced to leave Chile from 1975 until 1984.
Claudio was the son of Luis Huepe Godoy, who was a Lebanese immigrant, and Marta García Norambuena. His parents were well-known businesspeople from Chillán. He studied Industrial Civil Engineering at the Universidad Católica de Chile. Later, he earned a master's degree in economic development from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the United States.
Early Political Career
During the time Eduardo Frei Montalva was President, Claudio Huepe was chosen to be the leader of Arauco Province. This happened between 1964 and 1968. He was only 24 years old, making him the youngest person to hold such a position. After four years, he left this job to study for his master's degree in the United States.
He returned to Chile in 1969. Soon after, he was elected as a representative for Arauco Province. He became a member of the Chamber of Deputies (part of the Chilean Parliament) from 1969 to 1973. He had the support of the Christian Democrat Party (PDC).
He was re-elected in 1973. However, his time in Parliament was cut short by a military takeover. This coup happened against the elected government of Salvador Allende. Claudio Huepe quickly spoke out against the coup. He signed a statement with other important people, showing his disagreement with the military stopping Chile's democracy.
Because he opposed the military government, he was held in special camps for political prisoners for three months. In 1975, he was forced to leave Chile. He lived in England and Venezuela until 1984. He was allowed to return to Chile as the military government slowly started to allow more political freedom.
Helping Democracy Return
While he was away from Chile and after he came back, Claudio Huepe stayed very active in politics. He worked hard to help democracy return to Chile. He was one of the Christian Democrats who had more left-leaning ideas. The Christian Democrat party in Chile usually sits in the middle of politics.
He played a key role in forming a group called the Concert of Parties for Democracy. This group was a mix of center-left parties. They worked together to defeat the military government. Since the military rule ended in 1990, this group has won all presidential elections.
When democracy returned in 1990, Claudio Huepe was elected to the Chamber of Deputies again. He represented the same area as before the coup, which was now called District 46. This district included towns like Lota, Lebu, and Arauco. He won with a large number of votes.
In 1997, President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle chose him to be an Undersecretary at the Ministry General Secretariat of Government. This job lasted until 2000. In 2000, the new President, Ricardo Lagos, made him the Minister Secretary-General of Government. He held this important position until 2002.
As a minister, he helped finish important projects. These included laws about press freedom and Freedom of Religion in Chile. He also helped make the government look more modern. However, his work as the government's spokesperson was sometimes seen as unclear. He was replaced in 2002 by Heraldo Muñoz.
In 2005, he tried again to become a member of the Chamber of Deputies for a different area (District 41), but he was not elected. Later, President Michelle Bachelet named him Chile's Ambassador to Venezuela. He resigned from this job in mid-2007. This happened after he took responsibility for sharing a private talk with the President on a Venezuelan TV channel about Chile's vote for the United Nations Security Council.
Claudio Huepe passed away from a heart attack on May 11, 2009. He was visiting Caracas, Venezuela, at the time.
See also
In Spanish: Claudio Huepe García para niños
