Diego Portales

Diego José Pedro Víctor Portales y Palazuelos (; June 16, 1793 – June 6, 1837) was a Chilean statesman and entrepreneur. As a minister of president José Joaquín Prieto's government, he played a pivotal role in shaping the state and politics in the 19th century, delivering with the Constitution of 1833 the framework of the Chilean state for almost a century. Portales' influential political policies included unitarianism, presidentialism and conservatism which led to the consolidation of Chile as a constitutional, authoritarian and aristocratic republic with the franchise restricted to upper class men from the gentry.

While deeply unpopular during his lifetime, his murder in 1837, during a mutiny, has been judged a decisive factor during the War of the Confederation. Chilean public opinion shifted to support the war against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. Many Chileans and historians view him as the power behind the throne of the early republic era, particularly in his shaping the Constitution of 1833. While he never assumed the presidency, his influence permitted him to serve simultaneously as the Minister of War, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Relations. He was an early proponent of Chilean expansionism. Provided by Wikipedia