Pedro Larrondo Jara

Pedro Larrondo Jara (12 May 1927 – 14 October 2007) was a Chilean naval officer and political figure who held several senior economic positions during the military regime of General Augusto Pinochet.

Biography Larrondo was born in Pitrufquén in 1927, the son of Juan Larrondo Capdeville and Ana Jara Oliva. He completed secondary studies at La Salle School and the Commercial Institute of Temuco, graduating as the top student of his class. In 1953 he married Aída Naudon Byrt, a public accountant, with whom he had four children: Viviana, Denise, Christian and Rodrigo.

Naval career Larrondo entered the Arturo Prat Naval Academy in 1946, graduating the following year as guardiamarina with the institution’s General Award for first place in his class. Over the next decades he held various administrative and supply positions across the fleet and naval institutions, including assignments aboard the Maipo, the frigate Iquique, the submarine Thompson and the training ship Esmeralda.

He pursued additional training in administration and finance in Chile and the United States, serving in roles that linked naval logistics, budgeting and organizational development. In 1979 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Director of Naval Supply and Accounting. He retired from active service in 1983 after 38 years in the Navy.

Roles during the military government In July 1974, Larrondo was appointed Undersecretary of Finance, a position he held for more than five years as part of the regime’s economic team.

He returned to the cabinet in 1989 when he was appointed Minister of Economy, Development and Reconstruction on 16 April of that year. He served as the last economy minister of the military government until 11 March 1990, when the administration of Patricio Aylwin took office and he was succeeded by Carlos Ominami.

Distinctions Larrondo received several recognitions during his naval and public service careers, including the “General Award of the Year,” the “Presidential Decoration,” and the “Order of Naval Commissary Domingo Espiñeira Riesco,” the latter awarded for exceptional merit within the Navy’s supply specialty.

He later worked as a corporate advisor and served on the boards of various companies. He was a founding member and director of the Circle of Retired Naval Supply Officers (COFA). Larrondo died in Viña del Mar in 2007.