Santiago Macchiavello Varas

Santiago Macchiavello Varas (23 August 1899 – ?) was a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic and politician. A member of the Radical Party, he served as a deputy representing the Fifth Departamental Grouping (Petorca, La Ligua, Putaendo, San Felipe and Los Andes) during the 1930–1934 legislative period.

Macchiavello also wrote works on political economy and Chilean economic development and published numerous articles in newspapers and journals.

He served as president of the Academia Literaria Ercilla of Antofagasta and as director of the Chilean Boy Scouts Association and of the Liga Nacional Pro-Patria.

Early life and education Macchiavello was born in Antofagasta on 23 August 1899, the son of Constantino Macchiavello Ceppi and Fermina Varas Fuenzalida. In 1929 he married Raquel Chacón Bustamante.

He studied at Escuela Superior No. 1 of Antofagasta, later at the Instituto Nacional, and then law at the University of Chile. He qualified as a lawyer on 9 September 1922 with a thesis titled Algunos aspectos del problema de la industria del cobre en Chile y sus proyecciones económicas y sociales.

Professional career Macchiavello practiced law and also worked as an economist and sociologist. For one year he served as substitute notary in Santiago.

Between 1927 and 1928 he was appointed member of the General Customs Board, although illness prevented him from taking the post. For the same reason he was unable to assume a position as professor of political economy at the Instituto Agronómico.

In 1925 he served as a government delegate to the International Exposition of the Bolivian Centennial in La Paz. He also collaborated with the Internal Revenue Service and publicly opposed the tax reductions on copper requested in 1929 by foreign copper companies.

Macchiavello also developed an academic career. In 1922 he became extraordinary professor of political economy, later initiating the teaching of that subject in the School of Law in 1924. In 1925 he served as substitute professor of social economics and mining law, and later taught social education at the Rafael Sotomayor Night School.

Political career Macchiavello was a member of the Radical Party. He had previously served as president of the Antofagasta Students' Center and vice president of the Law Students' Center.

In the 1930 parliamentary elections he was elected deputy for the Fifth Departamental Grouping (Petorca, La Ligua, Putaendo, San Felipe and Los Andes) for the 1930–1934 legislative period.

During his tenure he served as substitute member of the Permanent Commission on Public Education and as member of the Permanent Commission on Finance.

The 1932 Chilean coup d'état led to the dissolution of the National Congress on 6 June of that year.