José Miguel Barros Franco (San Fernando, August 7, 1924[1]Santiago, February 2, 2020)[2] was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat, historian and academic.

José Miguel Barros
Ambassador of Chile to France
In office
June 29, 1990 – May 25, 1994
Preceded byJuan José Fernández Valdés
Succeeded byJosé Manuel Morales Tallar
Ambassador of Chile to Peru
In office
19811983
Preceded byFrancisco Bulnes
Succeeded byJuan José Fernández Valdés
Ambassador of Chile to the United States
In office
April 14, 1978 – April 23, 1981
Preceded byJorge Cauas
Succeeded byCarlos de Costa Nora
Ambassador of Chile to the Netherlands
In office
19761978
Personal details
BornAugust 7, 1924
San Fernando, Chile
DiedFebruary 2, 2020
Santiago, Chile
Alma materUniversity of Chile
AwardsSee relevant section

Early life

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He studied in San Fernando, in the south-central area of the country.[3] After the death of his father, he received a scholarship to the Barros Arana National Boarding School in Santiago to study humanities, where, once graduated, he worked as inspector.[4]

He studied law at the University of Chile, obtaining his bachelor's degree and law degree from the Supreme Court in 1951.[5][6] He later completed postgraduate studies at Georgetown University in the United States, and The Hague Academy of International Law.[5][6]

In 1961 he married the Dutch baroness Elna van Hovell Tot Westerflier with whom he had three sons and a daughter.

Career

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In 1945 he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[5][6] Since 1950 he worked in various representations of the country, highlighting his role as ambassador to the Netherlands (1976–1978), the United States (1978–1981), Peru (1981–1983) and France (1990–1994), the first three during the military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet.[6]

He was ambassador on Special Mission in London, acting as Agent of Chile, for the arbitration relating to the Palena River region (1965–1967) and ambassador on Special Mission in London and Geneva, acting as Agent of Chile, for arbitration related to the Beagle Channel (1971–1978).[5][6]

In 2009 he was elected president of the Chilean Academy of History of the Institute of Chile [es], an entity which he had joined in 1977.[6] He taught classes at the universities of Chile and Diego Portales.[5][6]

In 2014 he was summoned by the second Government of Michelle Bachelet to join the advisory committee for Bolivia's lawsuit before the International Court of Justice regarding the maritime negotiation between both countries.[7]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Revista chilena de historia y geografía (in Spanish). Impr. Universitaria. 2003.
  2. ^ "A los 95 años murió el diplomático José Miguel Barros, agente clave en los arbitrajes de Palena y el Beagle". Cooperativa.cl. 2020-02-03.
  3. ^ Gazmuri, Cristian (2006). La historiografía chilena (1842–1970) (in Spanish). Vol. 2. Santiago: Taurus, Centro de Investigaciones Diego Barros Arana. p. 427.
  4. ^ Article in El Mercurio, 12 May 2002, p. D26.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Academia Chilena de la Historia, José Miguel Barros Franco". Instituto de Chile. Archived from the original on 2013-11-23.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "José Miguel Barros es el nuevo presidente de la Academia Chilena de la Historia". Sociedad de Bibliófilos Chilenos. 2009-05-06.
  7. ^ Article in El Mercurio, 1 April 2014, p. C4.