Vicente Santa Cruz Vargas

Vicente Santa Cruz y Vargas (Melipilla, 1850-03-29 — Santiago, 1910) was a Chilean soldier and liberal politician.

Early life
He was the son of Joaquín Santa Cruz y Carrillo de Albornoz and of María Mercedes Vargas y Vargas. He was the brother of Senator Joaquín Santa Cruz Vargas and Ricardo Santa Cruz Vargas, Chilean war hero of the War of the Pacific.

He studied at the National Institute and at the University of Chile, where he graduated as a lawyer (1870). He taught Philosophy and Natural Law at the Liceo de Valparaíso, until he moved to Santiago to participate in politics, becoming a parliamentarian, jurist and diplomat.

Political career
Deputy for Valdivia and La Unión (1882-1885) and for Chillán (1885-1888). In these two periods he participated in the permanent committees of the Treasury and the Constitution, Legislation and Justice.

He delegated a secret commission to Brazil (1886), managing to reestablish cordiality between both countries, also receiving the decoration of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Rose. He was Minister Plenipotentiary of Chile in Germany and Italy (1888).

He was re-elected as deputy, this time for Antofagasta, Taltal and Tocopilla (1891-1894). On this occasion he was a member of the permanent commission of Economy and Commerce.

He was minister plenipotentiary of Chile in Uruguay and Paraguay (1895) and in Peru (1896), a position from which he resigned in 1898 to retire from public service, dedicating himself to agricultural work. However, he was still called to be part of the government cabinet, as Minister of the Interior (1906-1907), under the administration of Pedro Montt.