Alejandro Tomás Foxley Rioseco (born 26 May 1939 in Viña del Mar) is a Chilean economist and politician. He was the Foreign Minister of Chile from 2006 to 2009 and previously served as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1994 and leader of the Christian Democrat Party from 1994 to 1996.

Alejandro Foxley
Foxley in 2016
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile
In office
11 March 2006 – 12 March 2009
Appointed byMichelle Bachelet
Preceded byIgnacio Walker
Succeeded byMariano Fernández
Member of the Senate of Chile
In office
11 March 1998 – 12 March 2006
Preceded byMaría Elena Carrera
Succeeded bySoledad Alvear
Constituency8th Circunscription
President of the Christian Democratic Party
In office
1994–1996
Preceded byGutenberg Martínez
Succeeded byEnrique Krauss
Minister of Finance of Chile
In office
11 March 1990 – 12 March 1994
PresidentPatricio Aylwin
Preceded byMartín Costabal Llona
Succeeded byEduardo Aninat
Personal details
Born (1939-05-26) 26 May 1939 (age 85)
Viña del Mar, Chile
Residence(s)Santiago, Chile
Alma mater

Education and personal life

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Foxley received a Chemical Engineering degree from the Catholic University of Valparaíso and PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Over his life he has received various awards including three honorary doctorates, the Great Insignia of Honor from Austria, the Ordem Nacional Cruzeiro do Sul from Brazil and the Order of Civil Merit from the King of Spain.[1]

Foxley is married to Gisela Tapia Soko with two children and four grandchildren.[1]

Economist and writer

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Foxley has taught at various universities including the University of Sussex in 1973, Oxford University in 1975, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1978, University of California, Berkeley in 1981, University of California, San Diego in 1985 and the University of Notre Dame.[1] He has written thirteen books on economics and the problems of democracy.[2]

Political career

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Foxley was appointed to the first Chilean cabinet after the restoration of democracy by Patricio Aylwin.[3][4] He served as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1994 and is regarded as one of the architects of the strong economic growth of the period.[5] As Finance Minister he was also a governor of the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.[2] Following his period as Finance Minister Foxley was elected leader of the Christian Democrat Party in 1994, serving until 1996.[1]

In 1998 Foxley was elected a member of the Senate of Chile for Santiago East. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the Finance Committee for four years until he stood down from the Senate in 2006.[1] During his period in the Senate he was seen as a possible Presidential candidate but backed the candidacy of Michelle Bachelet in the Presidential election. Bachelet appointed him as Foreign Minister in March 2006 following her victory in the election.[2] In March 2009 Foxley resigned as Foreign Minister for personal reasons and to pursue other interests.[6][7] Today he is a member of Washington D.C. based think tank, the Inter-American Dialogue.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Alejandro Foxley". OECD. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  2. ^ a b c "Alejandro Foxley". Business Future of the Americas. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  3. ^ Christian, Shirley (1990-02-03). "Pinochet Gets Role in Inauguration of New Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  4. ^ Main, Jeremy (1990-01-29). "South America: Democracy triumphs, but time is running out". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  5. ^ "Commanding Heights:Alejandro Foxley". PBS. 2003-03-26. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  6. ^ "Key ministers replaced in Chile". BBC Online. 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  7. ^ "Chile President replaces Foreign, Defense ministers". Reuters. 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  8. ^ "Inter-American Dialogue | Alejandro Foxley". www.thedialogue.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Finance
1990–1994
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
2006–2009
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Christian Democrat Party President
1994–1996
Succeeded by