Jaime del Valle

Jaime del Valle Alliende (Santiago, 2 July 1931 – 29 August 2016) was a Chilean lawyer and politician. He served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1983–1987) during the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

Early life He was the son of lawyer Alfredo del Valle Valenzuela and Herminia Alliende Wood. He studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He married Paulina Swinburn Pereira and had four children.

Public career He was appointed executive director of Televisión Nacional de Chile in 1975, a position he held until 1979, overseeing the transition from black-and-white to color television in 1978.

In academia, he was dean of the Faculty of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (1970–1973; 1991–1997). During his second term, he moved the faculty from the Campus Oriente to the Central Campus of the university.

Political career In November 1958 he was appointed Undersecretary of Justice by President Jorge Alessandri.

He later became Minister of Justice in 1983 under Pinochet, then Minister of Foreign Affairs until 1987. As Justice Minister, professional associations were transformed into trade unions.

As Foreign Minister, he signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 with Argentina in the Vatican, settling the Beagle conflict.

He was also summoned to testify regarding cover-up of crimes committed by the CNI in 1986.

Later years He was considered by the Supreme Court as a candidate for abogado integrante (part-time justice), but was rejected by President Ricardo Lagos.

From 1999 to 2004, he was vice president of the National Television Council (Chile).

Foreign decorations Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross ( 1984)