Ignacio Walker

Ignacio Walker Prieto (born 7 January 1956) is a Chilean lawyer, politician, and, author who was Foreign Minister of Chile (2004–2006).

Academic, legal, and political history
Upon Walker's graduation from the University of Chile in 1978, he joined Vicaría de la Solidaridad as an attorney-at-law. At Vicaría de la Solidaridad, Walker defended people against human rights violations committed by the regime of General Augusto Pinochet.

Walker served as a Deputy in the Chilean Parliament (1994-2002), President of the Christian Democratic Party (2010-2015), and Senator (2010-2018). He also served as Foreign Minister of Chile (2004-2006). In 1982, he earned a PhD in political science from Princeton University. Between 2007 and 2008, he was a visiting professor and researcher at Princeton University. In 2018, Walker became the Kellogg Institute’s Hewlett Fellow for Public Policy at the University of Notre Dame.

Walker was a panel member in the Kellogg Institute's Inter-American dialogue on the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Chilean plebiscite, which paved the way for the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and the return to democracy in Chile. The panel included both Pinochet's supporters and opponents who recalled and discussed the historic "NO" campaign, which ultimately led to Pinochet's defeat in the referendum and Chile's successful transition to democracy. Along with Walker, members of the historic panel included Andrés Allamand - Senator of Chile, Eugenio Tiron - Executive President of Tironi Associates, Rev. Timothy R. Scully - Professor of Political Science and Hacket Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and J. Samuel Valenzuela - Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame.

Family
Walker is a descendant of Horacio Walker and. He has eight siblings, including politicians Patricio Walker and Matías Walker.

On March 22, 1980, he married the singer Cecilia Echenique. The couple have three children: Elisa (lawyer), Ignacio (filmmaker) and Benjamin (musician).

Publications

 * 2020 -- Cristianos sin Cristiandad: (reflexiones de un legislador católico)
 * 2018 -- La Nueva Mayoría. Reflexiones sobre una derrota
 * 2018 -- Democracia Cristiana que queremos: El chile que soñamos
 * 2016 -- Democracy in Latin America: Between Hope and Despair (Kellogg Institute Series on Democracy and Development)
 * 2009 -- La Democracia En América Latina
 * 2006 -- Chile and Latin America in a Globalized World
 * 1990 -- Socialismo Y Democracia: Chile Y Europa En Perspectiva Comparada
 * 1986 -- Democracia En Chile; Doce Conferencias (with José A. Vieragallo, et al.)

Awards

 * 2005 -- Grand Cross of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique -- Prince Henry the Navigator (November 22, 2005)
 * 2004 -- Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (December 10, 2004)