Manuel Bulnes

Manuel Bulnes
5th President of Chile
In office September 18, 1841 – September 18, 1851
Vice President	Ramón Luis Irarrazaval
Preceded by	José Joaquín Prieto
Succeeded by	Manuel Montt
Personal details
Born	December 25, 1799(1799-12-25) Concepción, Chile
Died	October 18, 1866(1866-10-18) (aged 66) Santiago, Chile
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Enriqueta Pinto

Manuel Bulnes Prieto (December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile between 1841-1846 and 1846-1851.

Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile between 1841 and 1851. At the age of 16 he was imprisoned as a revolutionary by the Spanish authorities, but was soon released, and in 1818 joined the army of San Martin under whom he served as colonel throughout the Chilean War of Independence. After three years of continuous warfare (1820-23), he accomplished the temporary conquest of the Arucanian Indians. He was appointed brigadier general in 1831. In 1832 he crossed the Cordillera and defeated decisively the Pincheira brothers in the battle of Epulafquén. Then Bulnes commanded the Chilean army in 1838 against Gen. Santa Cruz in Peru; and, after taking Lima and winning the battles of Huaraz and Puente del Buin, combined his forces with those of Gamarra and defeated Santa Cruz at the Battle of Yungay (January 19, 1839), thus putting an end to the confederation between Peru and Bolivia.

Presidency 1841 - 1851

His presidencies were characterised by educational and cultural expansion, supported by the encouragement of foreign intellectuals to come to Chile. The National Institute was reformed and several junior schools were established along with the José Abelardo Núñez Upper School. In Santiago the University of Chile was founded during his watch, in 1842.

Bulnes also presided over a general amnesty in order to reconcile the groups who had opposed one another in the Civil War of 1829.

Regarding the nation's strategic goals, Bulnes founded Fuerte Bulnes in 1843 in order to establish and enforce sovereignty over the Magellan Straits. The settlement was relocated to Punta Arenas six years later because the original site offered insufficient space for the development of a settled community: it was and remains the most southerly municipality in the world, and has been a focus for economic development in the south of the country. Germans were targeted to colonise the hitherto very sparsely inhabited southern part of Chile in the wake of the 1848 revolutions which provided an impetus for emigration from the European perspective.

It was also during the presidency of Bulnes that the former colonial power, Spain, acknowledged the independence of Chile and became involved in the construction of Chile's first railway.

Manuel Bulnes Prieto died in Santiago.

Cabinet

The Bulnes Cabinet
OFFICE	NAME	TERM
President	Manuel Bulnes	18 September 1841 – 18 September 1851
Minister of the Interior & Foreign Affairs	Ramón Luis Yrarrázabal	19 May 1841 – 10 April 1845
	Manuel Montt	10 April 1845 – 18 September 1846
	Manuel Camilo Vial	18 September 1846 – 12 June 1849
	José Joaquín Pérez	12 June 1849 – 19 April 1850
	Antonio Varas	19 April 1850 –
Minister of War & Navy	General José María de la Cruz	18 September 1841 – 20 April 1842
	General José Santiago Aldunate	20 April 1842 – 18 September 1846
	General José Manuel Borgoño	18 September 1846 – 8 April 1848
	Pedro Nolasco Vidal	8 April 1848 – 18 September 1851
Minister of Finance	Manuel Rengifo	18 September 1841 – 10 April 1845
	José Joaquín Pérez	10 April 1845 – 22 September 1846
	Manuel Camilo Vial	22 September 1846 – 9 May 1848
	Salvador Sanfuentes	9 May 1848 – 12 June 1849
	Antonio García Reyes	12 June 1849 – 19 April 1850
	Jerónimo Urmeneta	19 April 1850 – 7 May 1852
Minister of Justice, Clergy & Public Instruction	Manuel Montt	27 March 1841 – 10 April 1845
	Antonio Varas	10 April 1845 – 18 September 1846
	Salvador Sanfuentes	18 September 1846 – 12 June 1849
	Manuel Antonio Tocornal	12 June 1849 – 2 July 1850
	Máximo Mujica	2 July 1850 – 18 September 1851

Sources

• Juan B. Alberdi, Biografia de general Bulnes (Santiago, 1846)
• This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.

Political offices
Preceded by José Joaquín Prieto	President of Chile 1841-1851	Succeeded by Manuel Montt
Military offices
Preceded by José Joaquín Prieto	Army Commander-in-chief 1841-1866	Succeeded by Marcos Maturana

Persondata
Name	Bulnes, Manuel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 December 1799
Place of birth	Concepción, Chile
Date of death	18 October 1866
Place of death	Santiago, Chile