Washington Saldías Fuentealba

Washington Saldías Fuentealba
29th Mayor of Pichilemu
In office 21 May 1971 – 29 September 1973
Preceded by	Carlos Rojas Pavez
Succeeded by	Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez
Personal details
Born	6 September 1927 Santiago, Chile
Died	31 October 1989 (aged 62) Ñuñoa, Chile
Nationality	Chilean
Political party	Socialist Party of Chile (PS)
Occupation	Civil servant

Washington Saldías Fuentealba (6 September 1927—31 October 1989)^[1] was the 29th Mayor of the commune of Pichilemu, office which he held between May 1971 and September 1973: his term was interrupted by the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, which put General Augusto Pinochet in the power of the country, and who later appointed Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez as the successor of Saldías. Saldías was also regidor of the commune of Pichilemu between 1963 and 1971, and a founding member of the Club Aéreo de Pichilemu (Aerial Club of Pichilemu).

Biography

Political career

Washington Saldías was elected regidor of Pichilemu for the first time in 1963, representing the Socialist Party of Chile.^[2] He shared the council office for the 1963–67 term with Manuel Córdova Morales, Héctor Greene Valverde, Osvaldo Vidal Vidal, and mayor Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez. He was re-elected for the 1967–71 term, holding the regidor office with Flavio Alvarez Jorquera, Mario Moraga Cáceres, Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez, and mayor Carlos Rojas Pavez.^[3]

Saldías Fuentealba was elected mayor of Pichilemu for the 1973–75 term, and took office on 21 May 1973, becoming the first Socialist politician to become mayor of Pichilemu.^[4] His council was composed of Osvaldo Vidal Vidal, Jorge Díaz García, Francisco Lorca Espinoza and Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez.^[3] Among his work as mayor of the commune, he started the construction of the Avenida Costanera, an avenue which now borders the coast of Pichilemu;^[5] additionally, the Plaza Arturo Prat (Arturo Prat Square, constructed during the mayorship of Carlos Rojas Pavez, had its condition improved by the installation of streetlamps, planting of new trees, and cement benches.^[6]

Saldías also constructed roads connecting the southern parts of the commune, including the beach of Punta de Lobos, the neighborhood of Playa Hermosa, and the village of Cáhuil, with the urban center.^[7] He was described in a session of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile as a "very active man, very hard working and much worried of his commune's problems."^[8]

Saldías' term, however, was interrupted by the 1973 coup d'état, which put General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte presiding a government junta which, on 29 September 1973, expelled Saldías Fuentealba from the mayoral office and put in his place Christian Democrat regidor Carlos Echazarreta Iñiguez, who held office until November of that year.^[3]

Other work

Saldías is a founding member of the Club Aéreo de Pichilemu (Aerial Club of Pichilemu), whose founding took place on 2 November 1964.^[9]

Personal life

Washington Saldías is the father of Washington Saldías González, councilor of Pichilemu between 1996 and 2004, and Antonio Saldías, known by his pen name Don Antonio de Petrel, who has written several books on the history of the communes of Cardenal Caro Province.^[10]

Legacy

In December 1991, and as part of the celebrations and activities for the celebration of the centennial of the creation of the commune of Pichilemu, mayor René Maturana renamed several streets "whose names were repeated" to "names of people relevant in [the local] history". As a result, Calle Cardenal Caro (Cardenal Caro Street) in Ross neighborhood was renamed to Calle Alcalde Washington Saldías Fuentealba (Alcalde Washington Saldías Fuentealba street).^[11]

References

1. Grez-Cañete, Diego (16 June 2014). "Allende, la Unidad Popular y el último alcalde de Pichilemu antes del golpe de 1973: Washington Saldías Fuentealba". El Marino (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile: El Marino EIRL). Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
2. Saldías González, Washington (7 February 2011). "Ex camionero, codueño de la quinta "Costa Azul" y ex regidor Francisco Lorca Espinoza falleció". Pichilemu News (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
3. Saldías González, Washington (2 August 2007). "Alcaldes, regidores y concejales de la comuna de Pichilemu". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 22 March 2013.
4. Saldías González, Washington (21 December 2008). "Comuna de Pichilemu está cumpliendo ciento diecisiete años de vida junto a otras 194 comunas". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
5. Saldías González, Washington (19 February 2008). "Obsesión por "el petróleo" o magia que provoca la Laguna de Petrel". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
6. Saldías González, Washington (19 April 2011). "Remodelación de plaza Arturo Prat y sectores aledaños con una inversión de 231 millones de pesos". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
7. Saldías González, Washington (3 October 2009). "Vecindad de Playa Hermosa está de duelo: murió Luis González Jorquera, antiguo pionero". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
8. Boletín de las sesiones. Imprenta Nacional. 1971. p. 3404. señor Washington Saldías, de filiación socialista, hombre muy activo, muy trabajador y muy preocupado de los problemas de su comuna
9. Saldías González, Washington (10 September 2011). "Oficialmente inauguradas obras en aeródromo del balneario pichilemino". Pichilemu News (in Spanish) (Pichilemu, Chile). Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
10. Saldías González, Antonio (1990). Pichilemu: mis fuentes de información. Pichilemu, Chile: Editora El Promaucae. p. 3.
11. "Aprueba la denominación de calles y pasajes que indica". Ley Chile. Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. 31 December 1991. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.