Matte family

The Matte family is a rich, powerful and influential Chilean family of Catalan origin. According to Forbes magazine, their wealth amounts to US$2.7 billion (2007).

Family origins
The Matte family's rise to power began in the 19th century when Francisco Javier Matte and his wife opened a textile store in downtown Santiago. In 1855 their son Domingo (who fathered 16 children) opened a bank in Valparaíso with two of his sons, Augusto and Eduardo.

Prominent members

 * Claudio Matte: created the Matte syllabary and was rector of the University of Chile
 * Augusto Matte: lawyer, diplomat, deputy and senator; also Finance Minister and Justice Minister
 * Luis Matte Larraín
 * Eugenio Matte Hurtado
 * Arturo Matte Alessandri
 * Luis Matte Valdés: minister under Salvador Allende
 * Eliodoro Matte Ossa: owner of the Compañía Manufacturera de Papeles y Cartones paper mill (La Papelera) who famously protested President Allende's attempt to nationalize it
 * María Patricia Matte Larraín: president of the Primary Instruction Society, owner of several schools for poor children in Santiago
 * Eliodoro Matte Larraín: president of conservative and influential think-tank Public Studies Center Centro de Estudios Públicos, CEP)
 * Bernardo Matte Larraín
 * Magdalena Matte Lecaros: Minister of Housing & Urbanism; wife of senator Hernán Larraín
 * María Olga Matte Lira: actress, wife of economist and politician Guillermo Larraín
 * Ricardo Matte Pérez: lawyer, senator and minister
 * Pablo Larraín Matte: filmmaker, director of No
 * Máximo Pacheco Matte: current minister of Energy