Héctor Velázquez (physician)

Héctor Velázquez (1864–1945) was a Paraguayan physician, diplomat and educator. He was the Universidad Nacional de Asunción's first Paraguayan dean, and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during Juan Bautista Egusquiza's government. He was also Paraguay's first ophthalmologist ever.

Early life and studies
Velázquez was born in Asunción in 1864 to Cantalicia Velázquez and an unknown father. The first in his class in the Colegio Nacional, he was given a scholarship by the government to study medicine in the University of Buenos Aires' Medical School.

Professional life
After he'd returned to Paraguay, where he was the first practitioner of ophthalmology in the country ever, he was made dean of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, a position he held between April 1891 and February 1893, being merely 27 years old when he took the job. A year after leaving that post, he became part of General Juan Bautista Egusquiza's cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1895, he left the cabinet to make way for veteran diplomat José Segundo Decoud. Egusquiza in compensation gave him the post of ambassador plenipotentiary in Washington D.C.. He would, in 1910, once again occupy the Ministry for close to three months.

In 1898 he was made dean of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción's medical school. It had been closed since 1890, so he had to reorganize its faculty.

He died in 1945.

Honours

 * undefined : Commander by Number in the Order of Charles III.