Tomás Hirsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomás Hirsch
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| Born | 19 July 1956 |
Tomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt is a Chilean politician and businessman. He was born on July 19, 1956. He ran for president of Chile in 2005 as a candidate for the Juntos Podemos Más (Together We Can Do More) group. He received 5.4% of the votes in that election.
About Tomás Hirsch
Early Life and Family
Tomás Hirsch was born in Santiago, Chile. His parents were from Germany and had a Jewish background. His mother, Lysa Goldschmidt, came to Chile before World War II. His father, Jorge Hirsch, came to Chile to escape difficult times in Germany during that war.
When he was young, Tomás Hirsch became interested in the ideas of Silo. Silo was an Argentinian writer whose ideas inspired the people who later started the Humanist Party.
In 1974, Hirsch started studying Industrial Civil Engineering at the University of Chile. However, he left his studies in 1978. After that, he began working at his brother's photo company.
Tomás Hirsch is married to Juanita Vergara, and they have two children.
His Political Journey
In 1983, Tomás Hirsch helped create the Humanist Party. This party was the first political party to become legal in Chile in 1987, during the government of Augusto Pinochet. Hirsch was the president of the Humanist Party from 1994 to 1999.
He also helped start the Coalition of Parties for Democracy (CPD). From 1990 to 1992, he served as Chile's ambassador to New Zealand. This was during the democratic government led by Patricio Aylwin. In January 1993, the Humanist Party decided to leave the CPD.
Hirsch ran for a seat in the lower house of Congress in 1997 but did not win. He also ran for President in 1999, representing the Humanist Party, but was not elected.
Tomás Hirsch was an important voice for people who were affected by the Pinochet government. When Pinochet faced legal issues in London, Hirsch often spoke on international news. He asked for Pinochet to be sent to Spain to face trial for serious wrongdoing. Hirsch also criticized the government of Ricardo Lagos for trying to get Pinochet released. He believed Pinochet would not face a fair trial in Chile.
Hirsch has also been a strong critic of the path taken by the Coalition of Parties for Democracy. He was cautious about the excitement when socialist president Michelle Bachelet was elected. He felt that her government would continue many of the same policies for most Chileans.
Tomás Hirsch believes in making big changes to Chilean society. His party wants to change the economy to create a more equal and democratic society for everyone in Chile. He also supports the rights of the native people of Chile, the Mapuches. Some of his ideas are similar to those of the Communist Party of Chile. His party and the Communist Party formed an alliance called Juntos Podemos Más (Together we can do more) for the 2005 Chilean presidential elections. Hirsch has participated in protests for causes he believed in.
See also
In Spanish: Tomás Hirsch para niños
